♦    FEB  10  1910 


Division  DT^34- 
Se.,ioa  .U^f^ 


THROUGH  UGANDA  TO  MOUNT  ELGON 


BAGISHU  WARRIORS  OF  MOUNT  ELGOX. 


Frontispiece. T 


THROUGH  UGANDA 
TO  MOUNT  ELGON 


By  J.    B.  PURVIS 

AUTHOR  OF  "BRITISH  EAST  AFRICA  AND 
UGANDA,"  "  THE  LUMASABA  GRAMMAR,"  ETC. 


WITH  A  MAP  AND  42  ILLUSTRATIONS 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 

150  NASSAU   STREET,   NEW  YORK 


{All  rights  reserved.) 


TO 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

FROM  ENGLAND  TO  THE  HIGHLANDS  OF  AFRICA  .  21 

A  land  worth  seeing — How  to  get  there — German  versus 
English  enterprise — The  journey — Mombasa — Kilindini 
harbour — The  native  town — Slavery — The  enterprise  and 
influence  of  Missions — Transition — Value  of  coast-lands 
— The  Uganda  Railway — The  journey  to  the  capital. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  CAPITAL  OP  BRITISH  EAST  AFRICA  .  .  40 

Nairobi  —  A  bad  start  —  Progress  —  Strong  opinions  — 
Knotty  problems — Forcing  the  hand  of  the  Adminis- 
tration— «*  Put  the  native  in  his  proper  place  " — The 
destiny  of  the  African — Is  he  capable  of  mental  and 
moral  development  ? — The  Governor  of  British  East 
Africa — The  settler — Will  he  ever  be  able  to  make  a 
permanent  home  in  the  Highlands  of  Africa  ? — The  evils 
of  competition — The  problems  of  race  and  colour  very 
pressing — Locate  the  white  man  as  well  as  the  black — Is 
the  Asiatic  a  "settler"? — The  intermingling  of  the 
Aryan  and  Negro — Develop  the  country  through  the 
native — Organise  and  educate  the  negro — Disintegration 
of  native  customs  —  Taxation  —  Rearrange  old  tribal 
systems. 

9 


lO 


Contents 


CHAPTER  III 


PAGE 


THE  NATIVE 


60 


Four  millions  of  natives  —  The  Swahili  —  Arab  and 
African  —  Arab  influence  —  Swahili  nature  —  "  Black 
ivory  " — Mohammedan  missionaries — Primitive  tribes — 
The  Wakamba— Ideas  of  beauty— Religion— The  Wa- 
kikuyu  —  Their  industry  —  Ornaments  —  Polygamy  — 
Unrest  —  The  Masai  —  "Fierce,  nomadic  warriors" — 
Nilotic  negroes  —  Pastoral  people  —  Dress — Warriors — 
Houses — Women's  work — Engaged — Ear-rings  —  Sacred 
objects — The  Great  Spirit — A  problem. 


The  most  beautiful  country — The  great  ''fault" — The 
Mau  Escarpment — Giant  timber — A  serious  rainstorm — 
Poisoned  arrows — Nandi  troubles — A  caravan  cut  up — 
Port  Florence — Kavirondo  peoples  —  A  surprise  —  The 
tropics  indeed — The  C.M.S. — The  power  of  example — 
The  sight  of  a  lifetime — The  day  of  opportunity  for  the 
Christian  Church — Education  or  Evangelisation  ? 


THE  LAKE  VICTORIA  :  ITS  SURROUNDINGS  AND  SCOURGE  93 

First  view  of  Lake  Victoria — A  sight  to  enrapture — 
Waiting  for  breakfast — A  picture  from  fairyland — The 
islanders  of  Sese — A  voyage  of  discovery — Life  hanging 
by  a  thread  —  From  Uganda  to  German  territory — 
Baganda  influence — Dangers  of  the  sea — The  Bavuma — 
Steamers — Area  and  variety  of  Lake — A  round  trip — 
Sleeping  sickness — Death  and  desolation — Doctors  A.  R. 
and  J.  H.  Cook — Sleeping  sickness  means  great  suffering 


CHAPTER  IV 


FROM  NAIROBI  TO  LAKE  VICTORIA 


80 


CHAPTER  V 


Contents 


II 


— Dangerous  patients — Spread  of  the  disease — Cause  of 
the  tragedy — The  tsetse  fly — The  crocodile  theory — Is 
there  a  cure  ? — Experiments — A  barrage  over  the  Ripon 
Falls — Nearing  Uganda. 


CHAPTER  VI 

UGANDA  :  FLORA,  FAUNA,  AND  OTHER  THINGS  .  113 

Beautiful  Entebbe — Capital  of  civil  administration — The 
native  opinion — A  mistake — The  road  to  Mengo — No 
advance  —  Appearance  of  country  —  A  large  garden — 
Cotton  cultivation — Value  of  cotton  export — Climatic 
conditions — Extent  of  Uganda  Protectorate — Agricultural 
possibilities — Rubber,  cultivated  and  indigenous — A  cheap 
concession — Timber — Wild  animals  —  A  bull  bufialo — 
Death  of  Dr.  Densham — A  native  report  of  a  lion  hunt — 
Insect  pests — Mosquitoes  and  malaria — Value  and  use  of 
mosquito  nets  —  Danger  of  rest-houses — Necessity  of 
change — Protection  against  sun — Blackwater  fever. 


CHAPTER  VII 

UGANDA  :  ITS  PAST  CONDITION  .  .  .  135 

The  amazement  of  travellers — Stanley's  expectations — 
Concentrated  cruelty — Mtesa's  smiling  welcome — The 
people  of  Uganda — System  of  government — Social  life — 
The  Bahuma — Native  wine — The  other  side  of  the  picture 
— Mtesa,  the  causer  of  tears — Mwanga,  a  cruel  son  of  an 
evil  father — Alexander  Mackay — "The  dark  places  of  the 
earth  " — ESect  of  missionary  efiort — Expulsion  of  mis- 
sionaries— Murder  of  Bishop  Hannington — Growth  of 
Mohammedanism  —  Influence  of  native  Christians  — 
Rebellion,  capture  and  death  of  King  Mwanga — King 
David — Light  and  liberty. 


12 


Contents 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PAGE 

UGANDA  :  ITS  PRESENT  ADMINISTRATION  .  .  150 

No  Uganda  Railway — Porterage  system — No  relief  for 
British  taxpayer — Sir  H.  H.  Johnston — Provincial  chiefs 
— Pax  Britannica — One  Governor  suggested  for  East 
Africa  and  Uganda — Tropical  diseases — Native  develop- 
ment or  revenue — King  David  at  home — Native  parlia- 
ment— Regents — Sir  Apolo  Kagwa,  K.C.M.G. — Native 
capabilities  and  possibilities — Chamber  of  Commerce  and 
Labour  problem — Road-making — Waste  of  labour — Trans- 
port facilities — Need  for  technical  education — Military 
service — Strategic  position  of  Uganda — The  Right  Hon. 
Winston  Churchill  and  the  Baganda. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  SIGHTS  OF  MENGO  ....  175 

Kampala — Nakasero — Uganda  Company,  Ltd. — Philan- 
thropy and  percentage — Cotton  ginning  and  baling — 
Stones  sold  at  cotton  price — Uganda  newspapers — Roman 
Catholic  Missions  —  Roman  disunion  —  C.M.S.  head- 
quarters— The  Cathedral  and  congregation — The  Uganda 
drum — Missionary  meetings — God's  Acre — The  Soudanese 
Rebellion — Sad  days — Mengo  Hospital — High  School — 
The  Bishop's  palace. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  WORK  AND  INFLUENCE  OF  MISSIONS        .  .  196 

True  Socialism — The  life  of  women — Native  missionaries — 
Condition  of  the  Church — Appalling  numbers — Numerical 
not  necessarily  moral  strength — Danger  of  numbers — 
Danger  of  civilisation — The  housing  problem — Superficial 
character — Evil  living — Johnston's  opinion  as  to  Uganda's 


Contents 


13 


need — A  Puritan  revival — Secular  education — Desire  for 
knowledge— Intelligent  people — The  education  problem — 
Duties  of  Church  and  State — Church  government — White 
missionary  not  permanent — A  constitution — Self-support 
and  self-extension — Lack  of  funds  and  permanent  build- 
ings— The  crisis  of  the  nation  and  the  Church — Hope — 
Questions  of  Church  practice  and  discipline — Organisation 
— A  division  of  the  diocese. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THROUGH  USOGA  ...  .  223 

A  journey  eastward — Kyagwe — Ham  Mukasa — A  visit 
to  England — Samwili  Kangawo — Perfect  gentleman — 
Wayside  camps — A  view  of  Lake  Victoria  and  Usoga — 
Ripon  Falls — Whence  the  Nile  springs — A  dangerous 
ferry — A  unique  welcome — Jinja  and  its  possibilities — 
From  Lake  Victoria  to  Egypt — Agriculture — Road-making 
— A  good  centre — Clever  thieves — Slow  work — Christian 
revenge — Famine — Hut-tax  returns — Value  of  a  para- 
mount chief. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ON  THE  MARCH  IN  UNKNOWN  LANDS  .  .  .  241 

Bukedi — River  Mpologoma — Dug-out  canoes — Papyrus — 
Disenchantment — Strange  dwelling-places — Lake  Kyoga 
— Floating  islands — A  spicy  experience — Teso  country — • 
Clothing  despised — Remarkable  village  fences — Curious 
ornaments — The  care  of  children — Precautions  for  benefit 
of  girls — Fear  of  a  mother-in-law — Mission  work — Lake 
Salisbury — A  primitive  race — Turkana  people — Hair- 
dressing  and  use  of  pillows. 


14 


Contents 


CHAPTER  XIII 

PAGE 

MASABA  :  COUNTRY,  PEOPLE,  AND  CUSTOMS     .  .  266 

A  cool  camp — The  largest  extinct  volcano  in  the  world — 
Mount  Elgon  and  its  foothills  —  Masaba  —  Primitive 
customs — Caves  and  cave-dwellers — The  wildest  people  in 
Uganda  Protectorate — Native  customs — Circumcision — 
Patriarchal  government  —  Clan  system  —  Land  laws  — 
Heirship — Marriage  laws  and  customs — Dress  of  married 
woman — Clan  marks — Ornaments — Protection  of  girls — 
Punishment  of  wrong- doers — Clan  fights — Native  courtesy 
— Spirit  of  independence — Jealousy — A  father's  curse — 
Curious  customs. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

LIFE  AND  WORK  AMONGST  CANNIBALS  .  .  294 

Lost  near  Mount  Elgon  —  Quaint  figures  —  Clothing 
despised — Invalid  missionaries — A  cheap  house — Himian 
hysenas — The  place  of  departed  spirits — Burial  customs — 
The  gathering  of  the  clans — The  coming  of  Roman 
Catholics  —  Laying  out  a  station  —  Native  kindness — 
Progress — A  unique  church  dedication — Variety  of  work 
— Healing  powers  of  nature — First  baptisms. 


CHAPTER  XV 

LANGUAGE  DIFFICULTIES  ....  317 

Preliminary  difficulties — Publication  of  the  Lumasaba 
Grammar — A  primitive  language — Legend  about  Victoria 
Nyanza  Bantu  group — Comparative  study*,  advised — 
Bantu  language  characteristics  —  Confusing  similarity 
in  Luganda — Perfect  grammatical  construction — Rich 
vocabulary — How  to  express  abstract  ideas — A  faithful 
lad — A  prayer-  and  hymn-book — Idiomatic  phrases — 
Politeness. 


• 


Contents 


CHAPTER  XVI 

PAGE 

LIGHT  AND  SHADE        .....  335 

Slow  progress — Friendly  and  trustful  natives — Spirit  of 
independence — Indian  hemp-smoking — Efiect  of  evil 
practices — Native  dances — Drink  and  fighting — Wailing — 
Native  industry — Lighthearted  geniality — Witchcraft — 
The  power  of  suggestion — Protection  against  witchcraft 
— No  God  of  love  in  Masaba — Evil  spirits — Altars  and 
ofierings — Sacrifices — Sacred  groves — A  liking  for  football 
— Ghoulish  practices — A  low  standard  of  civilisation — 
Compensations— Native  ability — Open  doors. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

NATIONALISING  AND  DENATIONALISING  THE  NATIVE    .  358 

The  unsettling  of  the  native  mind— Bringing  them  into 
line — A  bad  inheritance — Painful  memories — The  evils  of 
armed  agents  and  punitive  expeditions — Improvements — 
Possibilities. 


INDEX 


.  363 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

BAQISHU  WARRIORS  OP  MOUNT  ELQON      .  .  FrontispiCCe 

CROSSING  THE  RIVER  MPOLOGOMA  IN  A  DUG-OUT  CANOE  .  20 

MASABA  CHIEFS  ON  A  VISIT  TO  THE  EUROPEANS        .  .  25 

TESO  HUNTERS  FROM  THE  HINTERLAND    .  .  .  .29 

NATIVE-MADE  BRIDGE  OVER  A  DANGEROUS  RIVER      .  .  35 

THE  NATIVE  AT  PLAY  .  .  .  .  .  .41 

BAGISHU  GIRLS  ......  47 

TYPES  OP  WOMEN  AND  GIRLS,  MASABA,  MOUNT  ELGON  .  .  51 

A  HARD  DRINKER  AND  MEDICINE-MAN  ...  61 

BAGISHU  ABOUT  TO  OFFER  SACRIFICES     .  .  .  .65 

"ENGAGED"  GIRLS      ......  76 

MASAI  WARRIORS  GUARDING  A  TRAIN  ON  THE  UGANDA  RAILWAY  81 

THE  HOME  OP  THE  TSETSE  PLY    .  .  .  .  .99 

A  GOLDEN-CRESTED  CRANE       .....  112 

THE  KING  OP  UGANDA'S  OFFICIAL  DRUMMER       .  .  .134 

H.H.  KING  DAUDI  (dAVID)  CHWA         ....  147 

KING  DAVID  LEARNING  THE  MYSTERIES  OP  A  KODAK      .  .  155 

SIB  APOLO  KAGWA,  K.C.M.G.    .....  159 

INTERIOR  VIEW  OP  MENGO  CATHEDRAL     ....  174 

ST.  PAUL'S  CATHEDRAL,  MENGO,  UGANDA        .  .  .  174 

17 


1 8         List  of  Illustrations 


PAGE 

WEDDING  PARTY  OF  BAGANDA  LEAVING  CHURCH        .  .  186 

BISHOP  TUCKBE  OP  UGANDA  IN  CAMP       .  .  .  .193 

PHYSICAL  DRILL  AT  MENGO  CM. 8.  HIGH  SCHOOL  .  205 

THE  VENERABLE  T.  R.  BUCKLEY,  B.A.,  LL.B.        .  .  .  229 

BEMEI  KAKUNGULU        ......  238 

HOUSE  BUILT  ON  THE  RIVER  MPOLOGOMA  .  .  245 

TE80  HOUSE  AND  GRAIN  STORE  .  .  .  .253 

GRAIN  STORE  IN  THE  TESO  COUNTRY        .  .  .  .253 

TE80  MEN  AND  BOYS    ......  257 

IVORY  FROM  KOROMOJO      ......  263 

AN  OLD  MASABA  PATRIARCH     .....  269 

MUGISHU  WOMAN  WEARING  LIP  STONE     ....  279 

CHARGE  OF  BAGISHU  WARRIORS  AT  MASABA,  MOUNT  ELGON .  284 
NATIVE  HOUSE  BUILDING  AT  MASABA        ....  288 

"  A  TALL,  IMPRESSIVE  FIGURE  "  NEAR  MOUNT  ELGON  .  295 

BAGISHU  MARRIED  WOMEN  .....  301 

NEW  IDEAS  IN  BUILDING  NEAR  MOUNT  ELGON  .  .  307 

A  MUGISHU  GIRL  HARPIST  .....  313 

VISITORS  TO  THE  YOUNG  WHITE  CHIEF  .  .  .  334 

BAGISHU  BLACKSMITHS       ......  343 

THE  WONDER  OF  THE  WILD  MOUNTAINEERS  .  .  .347 

DOORS  THAT  ARE  BEING  OPENED  .....  355 


MAP 

ROUGH     SKETCH     OF     CENTRAL    PROVINCE    OF    UGANDA  PRO- 
TECTORATE AS  EXPLORED  BY  THE  REV.  J.  B.  PURVIS  220-221 


20 


THROUGH   UGANDA  TO 
MOUNT  ELGON 


CHAPTER  I 


FROM   ENGLAND  TO  THE  HIGHLANDS 


A  land  worth  seeing — How  to  get  there — German  versus 
EngHsh  enterprise — The  journey — Mombasa — Kihndini 
Harbour — The  native  town — Slavery — The  enterprise  and 
influence  of  Missions — Transition — Value  of  coast-lands — 
The  Uganda  Railway — The  journey  to  the  capital. 

"TTIOR  the  man  who  is  tired  of  the  beaten 


-L  track,  and  who  wishes  to  "see  things  as 
they  are"  in  a  land  which,  up  to  the  last  few 
years,  was  "the  Dark  Continent" — things  that 
are  well  worth  seeing,  since  they  are  all  that 
remain  in  the  world  of  a  primitive  simplicity 
that  cannot  possibly  last  much  longer — let  me 
commend  a  visit  to  our  East  African  Empire. 
The  "  How  to  get  there  ? "  is  no  longer  a 


OF  AFRICA 


2 


21 


22     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

problem,  or  even  a  trial,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
British  enterprise  played  no  part  in  the  solution 
of  the  difficulty.  Without  so  much  as  an  effort 
on  the  part  of  British  shipowners,  the  Germans 
have  taken  possession  of  East  African  trade, 
and  are  even  polite  enough  to  call  at  Dover  for 
would-be  visitors  to  East  Africa  and  Uganda. 

Those  who  prefer  a  short  sea  passage  have 
only  to  go  overland  to  Marseilles  or  Naples, 
from  whence  they  may  reach  Mombasa  in 
fourteen  days. 

I  do  not  say  that  German  ships  are  all  that 
can  be  desired,  more  especially  to  the  man  who 
has  not  learned  to  eat  pork  chop  for  breakfast, 
when  passing  down  the  Indian  Ocean  in  the 
face  of  a  monsoon ;  but  I  understand  that 
even  such  food  as  a  German  liner  can  offer 
is  preferable  to  the  diet  of — well,  amongst 
other  things,  substantial  cockroaches,  which 
figured  so  prominently  on  some  of  the  older 
boats  that  once  plied  between  Aden  and 
Mombasa. 

Even  in  the  matter  of  boat  and  diet  a 
choice  is  given,  though  some  may  think  the 
choice  is  between  two  evils,  for  whoever 
cannot  travel  by  a  German  line  may  try  the 
French,  and  perhaps  prefer  it.  Here,  almost 
the  only  difference  between  first  and  second 
class  is  the  difference  in  the  price  and  sleeping 


A  Pleasant  Voyage  23 

accommodation.  The  food  of  first  and  second 
class  is  very  similar,  and  the  promenade-deck 
accommodation  is  the  same. 

By  either  line  a  very  pleasant  voyage  can  be 
made,  giving  glimpses  of  Southern  France, 
Naples,  Vesuvius,  Stromboli,  Messina,  Etna, 
Port  Said,  the  Suez  Canal,  and  Aden — glimpses 
of  life  and  colour  which  live  in  the  memory 
for  ever. 

With  little  difficulty  it  is  possible  to  break 
the  journey  at  Port  Said,  and  from  thence  visit 
the  Holy  Land  or  view  the  sights  of  Egypt. 

For  myself,  I  kept  straight  on,  thankful  for 
the  breezes  of  the  Indian  Ocean — spicy  breezes 
indeed,  since  they  passed  over  various  cattle- 
pens  placed  immediately  in  front  of  my  cabin 
window,  but  nevertheless  acceptable  after  the 
deadly  calm  and  prostrating  heat  of  the  Gulf 
of  Suez. 

A  little  speck  in  the  far  distance  grows 
gradually  into  shape  imtil  it  becomes  to  us, 
after  naught  but  sea  and  sea  and  sea,  the 
most  beautiful  island  in  the  world.  The  ring- 
ting -ting  of  the  engine-room  telegraph,  and  the 
vessel  goes  slower  and  slower  as  we  glide  into 
the  harbour.  A  sharp  command,  the  loud  rattle 
of  the  anchor  chain,  and  we  have  finished  the 
first  stage  of  our  journey  to  Uganda.  Mombasa 
at  last ;  and  all  the  island  seem  to  have  taken  a 


24     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


day's  holiday  to  visit  the  incoming  steamer.  A 
shoal  of  boats  rush  for  the  gangway,  to  be 
pushed  off  and  off  and  off  again,  to  sort  them- 
selves into  the  proper  order  of  boarding.  First 
comes  the  doctor,  who,  having  declared  a  clean 
sheet,  goes  off  again  to  shore,  his  departure  the 
signal  for  another  rush  of  boats  of  all  sorts 
and  sizes,  with  owners  of  every  colour  in  the 
rainbow. 

"Letters  for  you  from  up-country,"  says 
some  one,  and  I  read  to  find  myself  located 
to  Masaba. 

"  Wherever  in  the  world  is  Masaba  ?  "  thought 
I,  and  left  a  question  of  geography,  which 
seemed  impossible  to  solve  at  the  coast,  to  be 
cleared  up  when  I  should  reach  Mengo,  the 
capital  of  Uganda,  and  local  headquarters  of 
our  mission ;  and  in  the  interval  sought  a 
closer  view  of  Mombasa,  interesting  always, 
but  doubly  so  to  one  who  saw  it  before  the 
younger  world  had  begun  to  cut,  and  mould, 
and  shape,  and  build  as  it  is  doing  at  the 
present  day. 

Remembering  my  first  visit  in  1895  to  the 
island,  with  its  narrow  street  of  Arab  houses, 
old  Portuguese  fort,  innumerable  smells,  and 
crowds  of  that  happy-go-lucky,  but  useful, 
species  of  humanity,  the  Swahili  porter,  who, 
with  his  jolly  smile,  seemed  to  have  but  two 


25 


old  Mombasa  27 


ambitions  in  life — the  first  to  find  out  the 
exact  state  of  one's  health,  with  his  continual 
*'  Jambo  bwana,  jambo  ?  u  hali  gani  ? "  and 
the  second  to  convince  the  new-comer  that 
to  go  off  into  the  interior  without  such  a 
paragon  of  usefulness  and  integrity  as  the 
speaker  would  be  the  height  of  folly ;  I  see 
once  more  the  miserable  aspect  of  the  island 
in  those  days !  The  one  narrow,  evil- smelling 
street  above  mentioned,  an  English  hospital, 
and  Government  House  standing  lonely  and 
desolate ;  the  old  native  town,  a  mission  hos- 
pital, and  for  all  the  rest — not  excepting  the 
old  fort,  although  it  was  the  home  of  criminals, 
of  porters  being  kept  under  lock  and  key  until 
the  very  moment  of  marching,  and  of  the 
then  Postmaster-General — long  grass,  trees 
and  brushwood,  the  paradise  of  snakes, 
leopards,  and  occasionally  lions,  which  have 
been  known  to  cross  the  channel  from  the 
mainland. 

It  was  known,  of  course,  that  Mombasa  was 
an  island,  but  very  few  realised  that  it  pos- 
sessed one  of  the  most  magnificent  natural  har- 
bours in  the  world,  which  would  eventually 
prove  the  front  door  to  the  whole  of  Equa- 
torial Africa,  British,  German,  and  Belgian, 
and  a  side-door  inlet  and  outlet  to  our  East 
Indian  Empire  :  for  here  at  Kilindini  harbour 


2  8     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

and  township  begins  that  stupendous  monu- 
ment of  skill  and  incompetency,  the  misnamed 
Uganda  Railway. 

'Tis  that  has  proved  the  magic  wand,  and 
changed  the  whole  island  so  completely  that 
it  might  now  be  mistaken  for  a  well-planned 
botanical  garden  with  substantial  exhibition 
buildings. 

All  honour  to  the  men  who  have  laboured 
and  suffered  and  died,  some  of  them,  to  make 
this  reception-room  to  our  British  East  Africa 
what  it  is,  the  daintiest  imaginable  little  coral 
island,  with  a  cathedral,  a  newspaper,  a  court- 
house, hotels,  roads,  tram-line,  and  railway 
station  all  its  own !  Indeed,  there  will  be 
found  every  requirement  for  a  growing  and 
very  much  alive  little  city — every  requirement 
but  one. 

How  pitiable  it  is  that  almost  the  only  flag 
the  natives  see  on  ships  that  steam  into  that 
majestic  harbour  of  Kilindini  is  the  French  or 
German !  Surely  such  a  promising  bit  of  our 
Empire  should  be  linked  more  closely  with  the 
homeland  ;  and  perhaps  at  no  distant  date  it 
will  be  done  by  a  subsidised  line  of  British 
steamers. 

Mombasa,  as  the  port  of  East  Africa,  is  linked 
to  the  interior  by  ties  other  than  the  bridge 
which  carries  the  railway.    She  sets  the  pace 


TESO  HUNTERS  FROM  THE  HINTERLAND. 
29 


The  Status  of  Slavery  31 


for  the  hinterland,  and  woe  betide  those  men 
who  have  presumed  to  settle  inland  if  Mom- 
basa is  neglected.  Yea,  woe  betide  the  whole 
country  and  the  Government  hopes  if  the 
Kilindini  harbour  is  not  developed  at  an 
early  date  !  Not  Mombasa  alone,  but  all  East 
Africa,  is  waiting  for  a  wharf  with  capacious 
go-downs  and  offices.  Mombasa  must  still  go 
ahead  for  the  sake  of  the  interior,  and  it 
should  be  possible  for  every  kind  of  inquiry 
to  be  dealt  with  the  moment  a  steamer 
arrives. 

There  is  time  for  a  glance  at  the  native 
town,  with  its  low,  square  huts  thatched  with 
palm-leaves,  ribs,  or  mats,  to  salute  the 
little,  laughing,  fat  watoto  (children),  and  to 
see  what  Mohammedanism  and  civilisation  is 
doing  for  the  recently  freed  slaves  of  our 
Empire. 

Perhaps  it  will  be  news  to  many  that  the 
legal  status  of  slavery  in  the  strip  of  East 
Africa,  running  ten  miles  deep,  and  which 
really  belongs  to  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar,  was 
only  abolished  on  October  1,  1907.  This  does 
not  mean  that  slavery  was  totally  abolished, 
for  concubines  do  not  come  under  the  new 
Regulations,  but  it  means  that  a  slave-owner 
must  prove  his  title  to  the  slave. 

In  the  islands  of  Pemba  and  Zanzibar  the 


32     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

slave  must  claim  his  freedom  before  a  British 
court,  and  prove  that  he  has  proper  means  of 
subsistence. 

Not  very  long  ago  the  only  people  who  had  to 
face  the  problem  of  freed  slaves  were  the  mis- 
sionaries of  Zanzibar  and  Frere  Town ;  and  right 
well  they  did  their  work,  by  turning  out  what 
seemed  a  hopeless  conglomeration  of  humanity 
into  useful  members  of  society — servant-boys 
and  girls,  clerks,  school  teachers,  carpenters, 
builders,  brickmakers,  and  even  ministers  of 
the  gospel. 

This  was  a  great  deal  to  do  in  the  mid^t  of 
the  very  lowest  type  of  Mohammedanism, 
strong  chiefly  because  of  its  sensuous  licence ; 
and  it  will  be  readily  understood  how  the 
sudden  spurt  of  civilisation,  the  labour  de- 
mands and  moral  evils,  brought  about  by  the 
building  and  completion  of  the  Uganda  Rail- 
way, combined  to  almost  blot  out  and  make 
impossible  the  work  of  the  Christian  mis- 
sionary at  the  coast. 

Yet  the  C.M.S.  agents,  under  their  kindly 
bishop,  stick  to  their  divinity  school,  indus- 
trial work,  hospital,  boarding  and  high  schools, 
and,  most  difficult  of  all,  open-air  preaching  in 
the  market-place. 

The  change  wrought  in  the  lives  of  the 
people  at  the  coast  by  the  Uganda  Railway 


The  Value  of  the  Railway  33 

is  stupendous,  as  can  readily  be  conceived  by 
any  one  familiar  with  the  old  method  of 
reaching  the  interior. 

Every  load  of  from  60  lbs.  to  80  lbs.  weight 
had  to  be  carried  on  the  head  of  a  porter, 
and  sometimes  a  thousand  men,  gathered 
together  from  Zanzibar,  Mombasa,  and  the 
coast  strip,  would  boisterously  start  off  on  a 
thousand-mile  tramp,  from  which  many  of 
them  never  returned. 

The  railway  now  carries  the  loads,  and  the 
men  are  free  in  a  double  sense — free  from 
their  old  slave-owners  and  free  to  seek  other 
employment. 

Many  go  off  into  the  interior  as  merchants 
in  a  small  way,  and  as  they  go  spread  the 
superficial  Mohammedanism  which  makes  it 
so  easily  possible  for  a  man  to  get  rid  of  an 
uncongenial  wife,  and  at  the  same  time,  with- 
out the  faintest  knowledge  of  the  Koran,  obtain 
some  standing  in  the  eyes  of  the  supposedly 
big  people  from  the  coast. 

Others  are  finding  employment  with  such 
white  men  as  have  realised  that  the  coast- 
lands  of  Seyidie  and  Tanaland,  though  un- 
healthy, are  really  valuable,  and  give  better 
return  than  almost  any  other  part  of  Africa 
when  laid  under  rubber,  rice,  cotton,  fibre, 
and  cocoa-nut  cultivation.    Perhaps  nothing  in 


34     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


the  world  gives  a  more  reliable  and  profitable 
return  than  a  cocoa-nut  plantation. 

We  have  seen  the  indications  of  transition  at 
the  door ;  now  let  us  go  inside. 

No  longer  the  tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  under  the 
broiling  sun,  over  waterless  desert,  through 
fever-laden  swamp  or  foodless  country,  for  we 
have  taken  a  ticket  for  Uganda  at  the  cost  of 
Rs.142.5  first  class,  Rs.71.3  second  class,  or 
Rs.23.12  third  class,  and  the  journey  which  took 
from  two  to  three  months  can  now  be  accom- 
plished in  as  many  days.  And  what  a  journey ! 
Thick  forest,  rolling  plain,  howling  wilderness, 
pleasant  pasture,  hill  and  dale,  mountain  and 
valley,  rushing  river,  rippling  stream,  roaring 
lion,  English  ox,  smart  official  and  naked  savage, 
can  all  be  seen  in  the  course  of  one  day,  as  we 
are  hurried  from  the  sea-level,  up  and  up,  to 
a  height  of  over  4,000  feet. 


The  Wanyika. 

No  time  now  to  visit  the  shy  and  weakly 
Wanyika  people  who  live  near  the  coast  in  their 
badly  made  houses,  or  to  feel  anything  but 
thankful  as  the  train  rushes  across  the  Taru 
Desert,  with  its  euphorbia,  mimosa  scrub,  aloe, 
thorn,  and  stillness  of  death  :  once  the  bugbear 
of  all  travellers  to  the  interior  by  the  British 


35 


A  Natural  Zoo  37 


route ;  now  not  worth  considering,  except  by 
fibre  experts,  some  of  whom  have  found  it  so 
valuable  that  a  decorticating  plant  has  been 
established  at  Voi. 

From  the  railway  station  at  Voi  there  is  a 
good  road  practically  all  the  way  to  the  snow- 
capped and  beautiful  mountain  of  Kilima- 
Njaro,  and  the  country  is  thickly  populated 
and  well  cultivated  by  the  Wataita  people,  a 
branch  probably  of  the  Gallas. 

These  people  have  brought  the  cultivation  of 
bananas,  sweet  potatoes,  millet,  Indian  corn,  and 
sugar-cane  to  a  fine  art  with  their  wonderful 
system  of  irrigation.  For  ourselves,  we  shall 
rejoin  our  waiting  train,  after  partaking  of  our 
first  meal  since  Mombasa,  provided  at  a  very 
small  charge  in  the  Dak  bungalow,  quite  near  to 
the  railway  line. 

How  very  different  from  the  old  days  when  if 
one  wished  for  a  steak,  it  had  to  be  chosen  from 
the  innumerable  herds  of  antelope  or  zebra,  then 
shot  and  skinned  and  cooked  ! 

Not  only  the  Dak  bungalow,  but  the  whole 
country  onwards  from  Voi,  provides  a  treat,  a 
feast  for  the  eye  to  the  lover  of  the  beautiful 
and  the  student  of  nature.  The  Uganda  Railway 
has  not  driven  away  the  game :  wildebeeste, 
hartebeeste,  zebra,  ostrich,  rhinoceri,  lions,  may 
all  be  seen  during  one  short  run ;  and  it  would 


38     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

be  no  novelty  for  a  rhinoceros  to  seek  the 
personal  acquaintance  of  a  railway  inspector, 
or  for  a  lion  to  paralyse  the  station  staff.  I  well 
remember  two  such  incidents,  and  wish  I  were 
artist  enough  to  picture  to  you  the  face  of  the 
Britisher  who,  almost  overwhelmed  with  the 
importance  of  his  new  position  and  new  white 
suit,  had  started  off  down  the  line  on  a  trolly 
propelled  by  two  Indian  coolies. 

When  I  met  them  the  rhino  had,  by  way  of 
protest,  smashed  the  trolly  and  kept  the  three 
men  some  hours  shivering  and  shouting  at  the 
top  of  some  trees  near  which  he  quietly  grazed. 
There  was  black  murder  in  the  white  man's  eye, 
a  desire  to  avenge  the  loss  of  dignity  and  the 
suit  besmeared  with  dirt  and  blood-stains,  as  he 
begged  me  to  lend  him  a  rifle  and  cartridges  for 
a  short  time. 

From  Voi,  mile  103,  we  continue  the  journey, 
and  soon  realise  by  the  change  of  atmosphere 
that  we  have  been  ascending  all  the  time.  From 
70  feet  above  sea-level  at  Mombasa  we  are  now 
over  4,000  feet  and  again  passing  through  a 
populous  country,  Ukamba,  with  its  lofty  hills 
and  beautiful  fertile  valleys.  The  people,  a 
Bantu  tribe,  are  numerous  and  industrious, 
renowned  hunters,  and  trustworthy  guides. 
They  are  very  proud  of  themselves,  and  go 
in  for  a  great  deal  of  ornamentation  with  beads. 


A  Humorous  Rhino  39 


shells,  brass,  iron,  and  copper  wire.  They  also 
file  the  teeth  and  smear  the  body  with  rancid 
butter  and  red  earth. 

We  had  a  rest  and  meal  at  Makindu,  mile  209  ; 
but  the  bracing  air  has  made  us  ready  for 
another.  Our  train  has  crossed  the  Kapiti 
Plains  at  a  height  of  5,850  feet,  and  every  one 
is  declaring  that  here  is  white  man's  Africa,  the 
land  of  hope  for  any  overflowing  population. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  I  am  hungry,  and  willing  to 
leave  such  abstruse  questions  for  another  time, 
since  the  train  has  arrived  at  Nairobi,  327  miles 
from  Mombasa,  and  5,450  feet  above  sea-level. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  BRITISH  EAST  AFRICA 


Nairobi — A  bad  start — Progress — Strong  opinions — Knotty 
problems —Forcing  the  hand  of  the  Administration — "  Put 
the  native  in  his  proper  place" — The  destiny  of  the 
African — Is  he  capable  of  mental  and  moral  development  ? 
— The  Governor  of  British  East  Africa — The  settler — 
Will  he  ever  be  able  to  make  a  permanent  home  in  the 
Highlands  of  Africa? — The  evils  of  competition — The 
problems  of  race  and  colour  very  pressing — Locate  the 
white  man  as  well  as  the  black — Is  the  Asiatic  a  "  settler  "  ? 
— The  intermingling  of  the  Aryan  and  Negro — Develop  the 
country  through  the  native — Organise  and  educate  the 
negro — Disintegration  of  native  customs — Taxation — 
Eearrange  old  tribal  systems. 

^TAIROBI,  the  capital  of  British  East  Africa, 


-A^^  5,000  feet  above  sea-level,  and  a  centre 
from  which  to  hunt  big  game,  see  natives,  and 
study  problems. 

The  first  problem  is  how  to  make  the  best  of 
a  bad  job,  for  the  wise  man  responsible  for 
moving  the  headquarters  of  the  railway  from 
Mombasa  to  the  Highlands  was  unfortunately 


40 


A  Bad  Start  43 


also  responsible  for  planting  it  in  the  middle  of 
a  swamp. 

Thus  the  effort  to  make  a  beginning  in  the 
Highlands  got  a  bad  start,  and  might  have 
proved  hopeless  but  for  the  grit  of  some  con- 
cerned, who  have  so  wrought  that  what  five 
years  ago  was  a  hideously  bad  dream  of  corru- 
gated iron  is  to-day  a  very  presentable  Anglo- 
African  town.  There  is  an  Anglican  church, 
Roman  Catholic  chapel,  a  bank,  a  couple  or 
more  really  good  hotels,  a  post  office,  stores  of 
every  description,  a  well-made  main  road,  rick- 
shas plying  for  hire,  some  slight  attempt  at 
drainage,  and  a  market  that  really  does  credit 
to  the  place. 

Indeed,  there  is  a  great  deal  more  than  might 
have  been  expected  in  so  new  a  town,  and  a 
great  deal  more  than  is  good  for  it,  for  from  the 
beginning  Nairobi  has  been  blessed — or  cursed — 
with  men  holding  strong  opinions. 

With  the  building  of  a  house  for  the  Governor 
began  the  question  of  whether  Mombasa  or 
Nairobi  should  be  the  capital,  and  since  that 
time  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  decide  whether 
population  or  opinions  increased  more  quickly. 

The  strength  of  the  latter  has  certainly  de- 
veloped until  the  tone  of  one  local  rag  might 
sometimes  be  mistaken  for  an  outspoken  Ameri- 
can.   The  human  element  at  Nairobi  is  the  one 


44     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  be  considered,  and  the  one  that  ought  to  be 
considered  now  if  we  do  not  wish  to  reap 
grievous  troubles  in  the  future. 

It  seems  almost  incredible  that  whilst  here  in 
England,  within  a  comparatively  small  area,  the 
cry  of  needy  thousands  can  hardly  be  heard,  in 
East  Africa  some  five  hundred  and  fifty  men 
are  making  so  much  noise  that  the  House  of 
Lords  gives  pause  to  listen.  Were  it  not  absurd 
it  might  be  serious,  yet  no  doubt  behind  it  all 
lie  principles  serious  enough. 

Is  "the  Colony  of  British  East  Africa"  a 
misnomer  ?  If  not,  who  are  to  colonise  it  ? 
Well,  since  the  climate  is  very  similar  to 
Southern  Europe,  the  soil  rich,  fertile,  and  well 
watered,  European  vegetables,  fruit,  cereals, 
sheep  and  cattle  already  doing  well,  the  answer 
seems  to  be,  "  White  men."  x^^nd  this  is  the  only 
answer  in  the  mouth  of  the  men  in  and  around 
Nairobi :  the  man  who  is  doing  well  on  his  farm, 
and  really  ought  to  be  encouraged,  and  the 
man  who  has  never  done  well  anywhere,  but 
mysteriously  turns  up  in  every  new  African 
town  to  hang  round  the  billiard  saloon,  live  on 
the  newest  hotel  venture,  and  give  gratis  his 
opinion  on  law  and  order — a  disgrace  to  his 
countrymen,  a  danger  to  every  new  colony. 
There  is  also  another  being  who  answers, 
"  White  men ! "  in  a  particularly  loud  voice. 


The  Right  Kind  of  Settler  45 

namely,  the  man  who  hopes  to  grab  as  much 
of  the  best  land  for  the  smallest  possible  out- 
lay, and  sell  it  at  a  big  price  to  settlers.  Both 
the  latter  are  men  who  ought  not  to  be  toler- 
ated in  a  colony  like  East  Africa,  and  if  they 
could  be  dismissed  I  do  not  think  the  other 
would    be  a  difficult    person  to  understand. 
He  is  the  man  who  wishes  to  do  the  best  for 
himself  by  honest  hard  work,  and  curiously 
enough  he  is  seldom  heard  prophesying  that 
the  country  is  going  to  the  dogs.    He  has 
built  his  little  house  and  is  far  too  busy  in 
town  or  country  developing  his  own  business 
to  give  advice  as  to  how  to  make  money,  run 
missions,  and  govern  the  country. 

Still,  even  he  will  not  believe  there  is  any 
but  the  one  answer  to  the  question  about  the 
East  African  Highlands,  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  there  are  five  times  more  Indians  and 
twenty  times  more  natives  than  white  men 
within  a  radius  of  a  mile  from  where  he  stands. 

The  natives  claim  the  soil ;  they  have  lived 
there  for  ages  ;  they  are  not  the  idle,  good-for- 
nothings  we  sometimes  hear  them  called,  and 
naturally  they  are  surprised  when  told  that 
the  big  white  man,  the  Governor,  has  sold  their 
land  to  the  lesser  white  man,  the  settler,  who 
may  or  may  not  be  disposed  to  allow  the 
African  to  remain  on  the  land. 

3 


46     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

One  case  was  brought  to  my  notice  where 
the  buyer  impudently  asked — perhaps  out  of 
bravado  or  wish  to  chaff  the  official — if  he  had 
a  right  to  shoot  on  sight  any  native  he  caught 
on  his  property. 

The  chaff  indicates  the  trend  of  thought ;  not 
that  such  men  would  shoot  the  native,  but  that 
the  native  ought  to  be  cleared  away  at  the 
will  of  and  to  make  room  for  the  white 
man. 

I  need  not  here  refer  at  length  to  the  endea- 
vour made  some  time  ago  to  force  the  hand 
of  the  Administration  on  the  native  question, 
by  unlawfully  whipping  some  servant-boys  in 
the  public  street  of  Nairobi  immediately  in 
front  of  the  magistrate's  office  ;  but  I  do  say, 
"  God  help  the  Governor"  of  such  a  country  at 
such  a  time. 

To  "  put  the  native  in  his  proper  place " 
simply  means,  to  many  who  are  interested  in 
the  question,  to  put  him  where  he  can  most 
easily  be  called  upon  by  the  white  man  for  any 
assistance  in  seeking  to  make  a  fortune  ;  to  be 
content  to  acknowledge  himself  accursed  as  a 
child  of  Ham ;  and  the  more  accursed  the  more 
he  strives  to  remove  any  indication  that  he  is 
different  to  other  men. 

That  the  African  may  have  a  destiny  high  and 
noble,    a  life  to  develop  on  the   soil  where 


Problems  of  Black  and  White  49 


found,  of  course  under  a  more  fostering  care  and 
tender  mercy  than  those  of  the  man  hastening 
to  be  rich,  has  never  been  considered  by  many : 
indeed  it  is  argued  that  he  is  totally  incapable 
of  mental  and  moral  development ;  but  only  a 
very  short  journey  from  Nairobi  is  necessary  to 
refute  such  an  opinion. 

Fortunately  the  present  Governor  of  British 
East  Africa  is  a  man  worthy  to  hold  the  position, 
and  he  is  capably  supported  by  his  staff,  who 
recognise  their  great  responsibility  to  the  native 
sons  of  the  soil. 

They  realise  that  they  are  face  to  face  with 
stupendous  problems  w^hich  can  only  be  solved 
by  patience,  tact,  forbearance,  and  strong 
common  sense,  and  are  not  willing  to  be 
unduly  pushed  into  one  line  of  action,  bullied 
or  frightened  into  another. 

I  deeply  sympathise  with  the  man  who,  in 
the  homeland,  has  turned  his  little  all  into 
capital,  and,  beguiled  by  land  speculators' 
tempting  advertisements  or  lectures,  has 
gone  out  to  East  Africa,  only  to  find  that 
there  are  so  many  difficulties  to  be  overcome 
before  he  can  settle  down,  that  his  capital  has 
vanished. 

He  is  appalled  at  the  length  of  time  necessary 
to  secure  land  settlements  ;  the  unsettled  con- 
dition of  the  native  question,  the  incongruity  of 


50     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

an  English  colony  in  Africa  administered  under 
the  Indian  Penal  Code,  and  administered  by- 
officials  who  have  had  httle  or  no  experience 
of  such  administration  so  far  as  white  men 
are  concerned.  The  tendency  to  petty  official- 
ism under  such  a  code  galls  him  frightfully, 
and  he  gives  up  in  despair  to  join  the  ranks 
of  the  malcontents.  How  well  employed  would 
the  Colonists'  Association  be  were  it  to  meet 
the  Governor  and  thrash  out  once  for  all  the 
answer  to  the  question  at  first  propounded — 
Is  "  the  Colony  of  British  East  Africa "  a 
misnomer  ?  If  not,  w^ho  are  to  colonise 
it  ?  This  question  once  settled,  we  should 
have  fewer  men  in  East  Africa  embued 
with  Carlyle's  false  idea  that  "the  funda- 
mental question  between  any  two  human 
beings  is :  Can  I  kill  thee  or  canst  thou  kill 
me?" 

Comparing  the  negro  and  the  white,  there  is  no 
question  as  to  who  is  best  fitted  for  the  country 
and  which  population  will  grow  most  rapidly. 
The  negro  is  at  home,  the  white  is  not;  and, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  homesteads  have  ap- 
peared and  some  progress  made  in  cattle-ranch- 
ing, it  is  quite  an  open  question  whether  the  white 
man  will  ever  be  at  home  in  the  African  High- 
lands ;  that  he  will  ever  be  able  to  build  up 
here,  under  the  direct  rays  of  the  Equatorial 


51 


Wanted,  A  Master  Mind  53 

sun,  a  strong,  contented,  self-supporting,  per- 
manent, white  community. 

Take  away  from  Nairobi  the  official  life — civil 
and  military — the  parson  and  priest,  the  railway 
staff,  general  agents,  store-  and  hotel-keepers,  the 
parasites  and  loafers,  and  what  have  you  left  ? 
Well,  the  town  will  have  ceased  to  exist  so  far 
as  the  white  man  is  concerned  ;  and  in  the 
country,  on  farm  and  ranch,  will  be  one  or 
two — not  more — doing  reasonably  well. 

The  evils  of  competition  are  too  manifest  in 
such  a  small  community,  and  men  are  really 
buying  and  selling  each  other,  did  they  but 
know  it. 

So  long  as  four  millions  of  blacks  are  willing 
— according  to  some  ideas — to  remember  their 
right  place,  and  remain  hewers  of  wood  and 
drawers  of  water  for  the  small,  very  small, 
handful  of  whites,  the  "  lucky "  few  will  be 
content ;  but  the  colony  will  still  remain  unde- 
veloped, the  native  problem  unsolved,  and  a 
large  section  of  the  whites  as  discontented  as 
ever. 

For  the  sake  of  all  concerned,  let  me  reiterate 
that  now  is  the  time  for  some  master-mind  to 
grip  the  problems  of  race  and  colour,  right  and 
prior-right,  in  our  East  African  colony. 

Is  it  not  possible  to  offer  the  white  colonist 
and  settler  a  better  chance,  by  setting  apart  a 


54     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

large  portion  of  the  very  best  land  with  the  most 
suitable  climate,  and  reserving  that,  town  and 
country,  for  the  white  man  only,  and  administer 
it  under  white  man's  law  ?  Of  course  it  would 
not  be  possible  for  the  man  with  influence  to 
buy  the  lot,  or  even  the  best ;  but,  first  come, 
first  served,  i/— and  the  if  is  a  big  one — he  be  a 
worker. 

Innumerable  questions  surge  up  at  such  a 
proposition,  and  undoubtedly  great  difficulties 
would  have  to  be  encountered  and  overcome. 
Would  all  the  labour  be  done  by  whites  ? 
&c.,  &c.,  are  questions  that  would  naturally 
solve  themselves,  once  the  principle  was  laid 
down  that  within  a  certain  area  was  situate 
and  constituted  a  colony  for  white  men 
only. 

Such  a  policy  would  leave  the  Government 
free  to  deal  with  the  next  two  most  pressing 
questions — the  African  and  the  Asiatic. 

To  take  the  Asiatic  first.  No  one  conversant 
with  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston's  purpose  and  policy,  as 
laid  down  in  his  books  on  British  East  and 
Central  Africa,  can  fail  to  understand  that  India 
and  Africa  are  closely  allied,  in  the  minds  of 
English  statesmen  at  any  rate.  And  the  most 
superficial  observer  in  British  East  Africa  will 
notice  that  the  Indian  is  a  factor  to  be  reckoned 
with  in  practical  politics.    Still,  I  very  much 


Asiatic  Visitors  are  not  Settlers  55 


doubt  whether  he  will  ever  be  in  Africa  that 
important  factor  so  many  prophesy. 

The  Indian  is  the  most  wonderful  merchant  in 
the  world,  not  excepting  the  native  of  Uganda. 
He  will  come  to  Africa  without  a  single  rupee, 
get  employment  from  one  of  his  compatriots, 
live  on  a  few  grains  of  rice  per  day,  buy  native 
hoes  with  his  earnings,  and  with  these  disappear 
into  unknown  regions  to  turn  up  again  and 
again  with  loads  of  skins  and  hides,  until,  tired 
with  journeying,  worn  out  with  malarial  fever, 
and  longing  for  home,  he  makes  his  way  to  that 
side-door,  Mombasa,  and  ships  for  Bombay. 

Can  this  man  in  any  sense  be  called  a  settler 
or  colonist?  and  are  not  all  the  others — mer- 
chants, clerks,  artisans,  and  coolies — much  the 
same?  The  Money  Order  Department  of  the 
Post  Office  supplies  the  answer  by  telling  us  of 
the  enormous  amount  of  money  continually 
transferred  to  India  by  these  visitors. 

That  India  has  a  part  to  play  in  our  East 
African  Empire  is  undoubted,  but  that  Provi- 
dence has  arranged  that  part  to  be  the  inter- 
mingling of  the  Aryan  and  Negro  races  may  be 
gravely  questioned. 

The  great  bulk  of  India's  population  live  in 
villages  and  till  the  soil ;  these,  if  any,  are  likely 
to  feel  the  pinch  and  require  room  for  expan- 
sion.   But  do  they  require  it?  or,  what  is  more 


56     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  the  point,  do  they  desire  it  ?  If  so,  they  have 
not  sought  British  East  Africa  as  a  new  home 
waiting  to  yield  them  its  harvest. 

This  being  so,  we  must  look  elsewhere  for  the 
men  who  will  by  manual  labour  develop  the 
natural  resources  of  our  colony ;  and  right  here 
comes  in  the  opportunity  of  the  Administra- 
tion to  so  distribute,  organise,  and  educate  the 
native  element  that,  with  the  help  of  the  Asiatic, 
with  whom  in  many  ways  the  white  man  cannot 
compete,  we  may  at  once  begin  a  possible  and 
hopeful  evolution  rather  than  continue  the 
present  chaos,  that  must  inevitably  lead  to 
revolution. 

"Organise  and  educate  the  negro!"  Is  that  pos- 
sible ?  Speaking  from  my  own  and  the  experi- 
ence of  many  more  qualified  to  judge,  I  say 
quite  possible,  and  the  sooner  it  is  taken  in  hand 
the  better.  Up  to  the  present  moment  the  whole 
work  of  education  has  been  done  by  mission- 
aries, encouraged  but  not  helped  by  Govern- 
ment, and  the  results  have  been  little  short  of 
marvellous ;  but  the  coming  of  the  Uganda  Rail- 
way and  messengers  of  civilisation — some  good, 
many  evil — before  the  vast  majority  of  natives 
had  been  the  least  prepared  even  by  Christian 
missions,  have  thrown  them  ofP  their  balance. 
They  do  not  quite  realise  what  part  they  have 
to  play  in  the  drama  of  development ;  and  they 


Organise  and  Educate  57 

feel  like  boys  who  have  been  chased  away  from 
their  playground,  but  hang  round  perplexed, 
ready  for  any  new  game,  harmless  or  dangerous. 

This  latent  power  for  good  or  evil  surely 
appeals  to  England  with  as  much  force  as  the 
power  allowed  to  run  waste  over  the  Ripon 
Falls;  and  one  cannot  imagine  it  will  appeal 
in  vain. 

The  white  and  Asiatic  elements  in  British 
East  Africa  are  both  too  small  and  uncertain 
to  justify  the  shaping  of  legislation  to  suit  them 
only ;  they  are  both,  as  a  whole,  too  content  to 
live  on  and  by  the  native.  And  the  native, 
whose  appetite  for  progress  has  been  whetted, 
if  only  by  the  desire  to  obtain  a  shirt  or  waist- 
coat, must  have  his  attention  turned  to  the  real 
source  of  wealth — the  cultivation  of  the  land  for 
more  than  his  own  needs. 

By  the  introduction  of  civilisation  we  have 
begun  the  work  of  disintegrating  the  present 
social  conditions  of  the  African  ;  and  it  seems 
to  me  a  very  serious  thing  to  allow  this  dis- 
integration to  go  on,  whereby  all  the  power  of 
chieftainship  is  lost,  everything  understood  as 
government  annulled,  and  the  native  actually 
forced  from  the  land  of  his  fathers  and  left  a 
huddled,  disorganised,  and  confused  mass. 

Hut-tax  and  poll-tax  may  prove  an  incentive 
to  force  a  portion  of  the  disorganised  mass  to 


58     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


seek  employment  from  the  settlers,  but  what  of 
all  the  others  ?  We  cannot,  surely,  suppose  that 
the  question  will  be  settled  by  declaring  a  cer- 
tain portion  of  country  "  reserve,"  from  which 
a  native  is  not  allowed  to  pass  without  a  ticket- 
of-leave. 

Educate,  educate,  educate !  not  by  turning 
loose  among  them  so  many  schoolmasters,  but 
by  organising  them — on  their  own  clan  system 
preferably — under  trained  leaders  of  men,  prac- 
tical agriculturists  and  stock-raisers,  who  might 
so  use  the  chiefs  and  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
old  tribal  systems,  in  order  (a)  to  rearrange  each 
tribe  under  the  changed  circumstances  ;  (6)  to 
settle  them  on  new  land  if  necessary,  giving 
them  plenty  of  room  to  expand,  no  leave  to  be 
idle,  but  every  encouragement  and  help  to 
develop  the  resources  of  their  land  along 
lines  laid  down  by  their  instructors.  Do  for 
each  large  native  community  what  the  experi- 
mental farm  at  Naivasha  does  for  the  white 
man,  and  erect  at  once  industrial  institutions 
for  the  training  of  artisans  who  will  supply 
the  need  of  black  and  white  alike.  I  have  no 
doubt  but  that  the  missionary  will  be  only  too 
glad  to  be  called  upon  to  supply  other  education 
for  which,  apart  from  his  evangelistic  work,  the 
Government  ought  to  pay  him. 

Along  such  lines  there  is  hope,  I  believe,  for 


Use  Hopeful  Material  59 


all,  but  more  especially  for  the  man  likely  to  be 
forgotten  until  he  becomes  a  burden,  intolerable 
even  to  himself — the  native  of  British  East 
Africa — at  whom  we  shall  take  a  closer  glimpse 
before  rejoining  the  train  for  the  Lake. 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  NATIVE 

Four  millions  of  natives — The  Swahili — Arab  and  African — 
Arab  influence  —  Swahili  nature  —  "  Black  ivory  "  — 
Mohammedan  missionaries — Primitive  tribes — The  Wa- 
kamba — Ideas  of  beauty — Religion — The  Wakikuyu — 
Their  industry  —  Ornaments  —  Polygamy  —  Unrest  —  The 
Masai — "  Fierce  nomadic  warriors  " — Nilotic  negroes — 
Pastoral  people — Dress — Warriors  —  Houses  —  Women's 
work — Engaged — Ear-rings — Sacred  objects — The  Great 
Spirit — A  problem. 

THE  problem  of  four  millions  of  native 
Africans  begins  at  Mombasa  and  spreads 
itself  over  the  whole  of  British  East  Africa, 
until  we  reach  Lake  Victoria. 

The  Swahili. 

At  the  coast  we  have  that  hybrid  race  already 
mentioned,  the  Swahili,  or  coast  people — a  race 
brought  into  existence  by  the  intermarriage  of 
Arab  and  African. 

60 


A  HARD  DRINK  3R  A\D  MEDICINE  MAN. 
6l 


The  Swahili 


63 


Others  have  dealt  with  the  death  of 
Portuguese  and  the  growth  of  Arab  influence 
on  the  East  Coast,  so  there  is  no  need  for  me 
to  do  more  than  mention  the  fact — a  fact 
that  has  had  a  great  influence,  not  only  on  the 
coast  life  but  throughout  the  whole  of  Central 
Africa,  for  the  outcome  has  been  a  people  and 
a  language.  The  people,  deriving  their  name 
from  the  Arab  equivalent  for  coast,  are  liberally 
endowed  with  Ishmael's  wandering  propensities, 
and  have  become  the  merchants  of  the  Equator ; 
and  it  seems  diflicult  to  believe  that  the  innocent- 
looking  individual,  now  buying  or  selling  a 
donkey,  was  equally  good  at  bargaining,  only  a 
few  years  ago,  for  men  and  women ;  and  that 
the  jester  was  right  who  said  that  Sivahili  is 
derived  from  saica  hila,  which  may  be  inter- 
preted "  All  same  cheat." 

Such,  however,  was  the  case ;  the  whole  of 
the  East  Coast  slave-trade  was  carried  on  by 
these  people  until  stopped  by  the  power  of 
England. 

Curiously  enough,  whilst  the  Arabs  were  able 
to  imprint  their  personality  and  religion  upon 
the  native,  yet  the  negro  element  was  too  strong 
for  absorption,  physically  or  linguistically.  The 
negro  type,  drawn  from  many  branches  of  the 
Bantu  race,  has  held  its  own,  and  even  forced 
a  Bantu  language  upon  its  conquerors  or  masters. 


64     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


Pure  Arab  merchant  and  hybrid  Swahili  use 
the  same  language,  and  have  made  it,  by  their 
many  expeditions  into  the  interior  after  "  black 
ivory,"  the  lingua  franca  of  Equatoria.  The 
peculiarities  of  a  Bantu  language  are  dealt  with 
in  Chapter  XV.  Such  a  race  as  the  Swahili, 
with  its  negro  propensities  and  Arab  cuteness, 
has  great  influence  as  a  Mohammedan  missionary 
among  the  primitive  tribes.  It  has  also  added 
very  considerably  to  the  difficulties  of  those 
working  at  the  coast  amongst  freed  slaves. 

Primitive  Tribes. 

The  primitive  East  Coast  peoples,  immediately 
in  touch  with  Mombasa,  are  the  Wanyika  and 
the  Wagiryama ;  few  in  number,  poor  in 
physique  and  martial  ability,  very  superstitious, 
but  also  very  industrious  in  agriculture. 

Between  the  Giryama  country  and  the  Somali 
country,  north  of  the  river  Tana,  dwell  the 
shy  and  cowardly  primitive  Wapokomo  people, 
whose  customs  and  manners  are  very  similar  to 
those  of  the  Bantu  Kavirondo,  which  are  dealt 
with  later  on. 

One  of  the  strongest  and  most  interesting 
peoples  touched  by  the  Uganda  Railway  is  the 
tribe  known  as  the  Wakamba,  dwelling  in  the 
country  which  stretches  from  the  Tsavo  River 
to  the  Athi  plain.    They  are  a  brave  and  indus- 


65 


Primitive  Tribes  •  6y 


trious  people,  who  would,  I  feel  certain,  give 
a  good  return  for  any  interest  taken  in 
them.  Fond  of  cattle  and  agriculture,  they 
are  also  good  at  making  a  bargain,  and  have 
been  more  helpful  in  provisioning  passing 
caravans  than  perhaps  any  other  inland 
tribe. 

Though  not  aggressive,  they  have  held  their 
own  against  would-be  oppressors,  and  for  years 
past  have  organised  their  own  caravans  to  carry 
trade-goods  to  the  coast. 

They  are  not  very  particular  about  the 
amount  of  their  clothing,  but  are  very  fond  of 
iron  and  brass  wire,  iron  chain,  and  orna- 
ments made  with  beads  and  shells.  They  also 
seek  to  add  to  their  beauty  by  filing  the  incisor 
teeth. 

The  men,  armed  with  bows  and  poisoned 
arrows,  spears  and  swords,  are  mighty  hunters, 
and  renowned  trackers  of  game,  whilst  the 
women  are  the  most  wonderful  carriers  in  East 
Africa.  The  load  of  wood,  flour,  grain,  bananas, 
or  babies,  is  fastened  on  the  back  in  the  hide 
sling  which  hangs  from  the  forehead. 

Like  most  pagan  Africans,  the  Wakamba  have 
but  a  vague  idea  of  religion,  believing  in  the 
power  of  evil  spirits,  to  whom  they  make  meat 
and  drink  offerings,  and  against  whose  influence 
they  carry  charms. 


68     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

Their  custom  of  circumcising  does  not  seem 
to  have  any  connection  with  religion. 

The  Wakikuyu, 

By  far  the  most  important  tribe  in  British 
East  Africa  is  the  Wakikuyu :  a  strong,  indus- 
trious, and  warlike  race  of  Bantu  people,  related 
more  probably  to  the  western  branch  of  Equa- 
torial negroes  rather  than  to  their  eastern 
neighbours,  the  Wakamba. 

These  really  are  the  people  whose  presence 
near  the  capital,  Nairobi,  occupying  as  they  do 
the  beautiful  and  well- watered  country  between 
the  river  Kidong  and  the  Lossogurti  Escarpment 
to  the  north  of  Mount  Kenya,  has  forced  the 
question  of  white  and  black,  right  and  prior- 
right,  to  the  front. 

Kikuyu  country  is  situate  at  an  elevation  of 
from  4,500  to  6,500  feet,  and  is  in  climate  quite 
sub-tropical.  There  are  evidences  that  at  one 
time  it  was  a  vast  forest,  which  the  natives 
have  cleared  in  order  to  carry  out  what  is, 
compared  with  other  native  efforts,  an  advanced 
system  of  cultivation,  on  the  best  soil  in  British 
East  Africa. 

Although  renowned  for  treachery  and  tur- 
bulence— due,  no  doubt,  to  the  many  attacks 
made  upon   them  by  their  cattle-loving  and 


An  Industrious  People  6g 


raiding  neighbours,  the  Masai — the  Wakikuyu 
are  admittedly  a  hard-working  and  industrious 
people,  quite  unfamiliar  with  famine.  They 
grow  bananas,  sweet  potatoes,  sugar-cane,  yams, 
peas,  beans,  millet,  gourds,  tomatoes,  and  tobacco. 
They  are  not  rich  in  cattle — again,  no  doubt, 
because  of  the  Masai ;  but  under  the  Pax 
Britannica  their  herds  are  already  on  the 
increase.  They  are  also  bee  farmers,  and  hives 
are  to  be  seen  in  every  tree. 

Between  the  Wakikuyu  and  the  Masai  there 
seems  to  have  been  constant  warfare,  yet, 
curiously  enough,  the  Wakikuyu  have  to  a  great 
extent  copied  dress,  customs,  and  arms  from  the 
Masai. 

The  men  are  content  with  a  goat-skin  for  a 
garment,  eked  out  with  the  covering  of  a  fatty 
red  mixture  of  castor-oil  and  earth  with  which 
they  smear  themselves. 

The  women  are  more  liberally  clothed  in  skins 
hanging  from  the  waist  and  shoulder,  the 
number  of  which  vary  according  to  the  season. 
Indeed,  except  in  features,  the  appearance  of  a 
Kikuyu  woman  resembles  very  much  that  of 
her  Masai  neighbour,  because  not  only  clothing 
but  Masai  ornaments  have  been  copied.  Ears 
are  pierced  and  loaded  with  iron  rings,  chain, 
beads,  gourd  ends,  pieces  of  wood,  and — since 
the  advent  of  civilisation — empty  jam  tins  are 

4 


yo     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

seen  everywhere  fixed  in  the  extended  lobe. 
The  men  wear  a  peculiar  armlet  on  the  left 
arm,  made  of  ivory  or  wood  in  the  shape  of  a 
merry-thought  bone. 

Beads,  of  course,  are  used,  not  only  as  cur- 
rency, but  for  ornamentation  ;  and  some  very 
pretty  girdles  are  seen,  made  of  beads  sown 
on  to  leather,  and  worn  by  men  and  women. 

A  snuff-box  is  a  usual  item  of  a  gentleman's 
wardrobe,  for  snuff  and  tobacco  are  much 
appreciated.  A  Kikuyu  man  is  armed  with  a 
spear,  sword,  knobkerry,  sometimes  a  bow  and 
arrows,  and  a  shield  made  of  buffalo  hide,  after 
the  Masai  pattern,  and  marked  in  a  similar 
fashion  with  a  clan  mark  picked  out  in  colours. 

Married  as  well  as  unmarried  men  are 
warriors,  and  this  being  the  case,  most  of  the 
work  is  performed  by  the  women,  who  age 
rapidly. 

Like  other  native  races,  the  Wakikuyu  practise 
polygamy,  and  wives  are  bought  with  cattle ; 
the  newly  married  wife  being  brought  to  her 
husband's  village  with  a  semblance  of  force. 
She  now  discards  the  many  ornaments  used  to 
attract  lovers,  and  settles  down  in  her  own 
house  to  lead  an  industrious  and  wonderfully 
moral  life. 

The  unmarried  men  and  the  unmarried  girls 
live  in  houses  set  apart  for  them,  supposedly 


A  Transition  Period 


71 


under  supervision,  but  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
free  intercourse  between  the  young  people. 

The  native  system  of  government  has  scarcely 
advanced  beyond  the  patriarchal  stage,  and  in 
many  respects  they  are  a  people  similar  to  the 
primitive  Bantu  we  shall  meet  later  on. 

Such  people  are  worth  considering  from  an 
economic  point  of  view,  and  with  them  the 
white  administrator  might  at  the  present 
moment  do  anything. 

The  idleness  and  unrest  are  due  to  transi- 
tion ;  for,  as  we  have  seen,  clan  ties  have  been 
loosened,  patriarchal  authority  has  had  to  give 
way  before  the  Indian  Penal  Code,  and  the 
natives'  sociological  ideas  have  been  uprooted 
and  overthrown.  Before  he  again  enters 
Utopia  there  must  be  a  period  of  individu- 
ality, brought  about  by  the  kindly  help  and 
organisation  of  the  English  Government, 
through  such  practical  education,  training,  and 
industrial  enterprise  as  can  be  given,  for  the 
purpose  of  developing  character  to  rightly  use 
responsibility  and  opportunity. 

The  Masai. 

A  somewhat  less  hopeful  but  more  interest- 
ing people  are  the  Masai,  who  for  many  years 
were  as  an  impassable  barrier  to  those  who 


72     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

wished  to  explore  British  East  Africa.  "  Fierce, 
nomadic  warriors"  was  all  the  description  we 
had  of  them  until  the  Scotch  traveller,  Joseph 
Thompson,  gave  us  a  closer  view  in  1885 ; 
and  even  then  those  three  words  seemed  to 
so  clearly  describe  them  that  there  was  no 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  travelling  public 
to  make  a  closer  acquaintance. 

Since  that  time  much  water  has  run  over 
the  Ripon  Falls,  and  the  more  dangerous  facul- 
ties of  the  Masai  have  been  so  paralysed  by 
the  magic  of  the  white  man  that  the  most 
timid  inquirer  may  now  approach  them  with 
safety. 

The  Masai  are  not  a  Bantu  people,  but  a 
branch  of  the  Nilotic  negroes.  Originally  in 
two  divisions,  each  under  its  own  medicine- 
man, they  are  now  divided  into  various  sec- 
tions and  occupy  the  country  that  stretches 
from  Mount  Kilimanjaro,  in  the  south,  to 
Lake  Baringo  in  the  north. 

A  purely  pastoral  people,  their  custom  was 
— until  placed  in  reserves  by  the  British 
Government — to  move  from  place  to  place  in 
search  of  suitable  grazing  ground  for  their 
vast  herds  of  cattle.  Incidental  of  such  no- 
madic life,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  one 
section  to  trespass  on  the  ground  of  another 
section,  with  the  result  that  war  was  declared 


Masai  Warriors  73 


— actually  declared,  in  civilised  fashion,  if  such 
a  statement  is  not  utterly  incongruous. 
Treachery  was  only  permissible  when  dealing 
with  those  who  had  not  the  honour  to  be 
Masai. 

A  Masai,  as  a  rule  six  feet  or  more  in  height, 
straight  as  an  arrow,  splendidly  developed, 
without  an  ounce  of  spare  flesh  on  him,  his 
head  well  balanced,  and  of  a  shape  quite 
different  to  the  Bantu  tribes  around,  high 
cheek-bones  and  beautiful  nose,  is  a  sight  well 
worth  seeing,  and  suggests  great  latent  power 
and  possibility. 

This  striking  individual — the  more  striking 
because  of  his  headdress  of  ostrich  feathers, 
collar  of  Colobus  monkey-skin,  with  the  long 
white  and  black  hair  attached,  and  his  whole 
body  smeared  with  a  greasy  red  paint  that 
makes  him  look  really  formidable — is  one  of 
the  El-moran,  or  warriors,  and  is  therefore 
unmarried ;  for  the  native  political  organisa- 
tion is  such  that  when  a  man  marries  he 
ceases  to  be  a  warrior. 

The  section  occupying  a  particular  district  is 
subdivided  into  clans,  and  on  the  large  shield 
of  the  warrior  is  clearly  marked  the  heraldic 
device  of  the  clan  to  which  he  belongs.  Each 
clan  has  its  spokesman,  medicine-man,  and 
political  chief.    Then  come  the  two  divisions 


74     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

of  the  adult  male  population — the  El-moru, 
i.e.,  the  quondam  warriors  who  have  become 
benedicts,  and  as  such  rank  as  elders,  respon- 
sible for  the  good  conduct  of  their  kraal,  and 
the  El-moran,  or  warriors,  already  described. 

The  houses  are  of  the  rudest  possible  cha- 
racter, made  of  bamboo  and  wattles,  twisted  and 
bent  into  a  tunnel-shaped  object  some  three  or 
four  feet  high,  then  plastered  over  by  the  women 
with  mud  and  cow-dung.  These  huts  are  built 
in  a  circle,  and  if  they  are  to  be  occupied  by 
the  El-moru  a  strong  fence  is  erected  ;  but  if 
the  kraal  belongs  to  the  El-moran  there  is  no 
fence,  for  as  "  Britannia  needs  no  bulwarks," 
so  the  Masai  warriors  require  no  other  protec- 
tion than  their  own  watchfulness. 

When  a  move  is  necessary  the  women  are 
responsible  for  packing  all  household  utensils 
and  the  bamboos,  &c.,  used  in  hut-building, 
on  the  donkeys,  and  transporting  them  to  the 
new  grazing  ground,  whither  the  men  have 
driven  the  cattle.  In  a  Masai  home  the  in- 
fants, male  and  female,  are  called  En-gesa  ; 
when  boys  can  walk  they  are  En-aiok  ;  after 
circumcision  they  are  El-barnode,  whilst  girls 
at  the  same  stage  are  En-doya. 

When  the  males  are  old  enough  to  carry 
arms  they  cease  to  eat  any  vegetable  diet, 
and  live  on  beef,  blood,  and  milk.    They  move 


76 


Good-looking  Girls  77 

into  the  kraal  of  the  El-moran,  and  there 
live  a  life  of  free  love  with  the  unmarried 
girls,  who,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  cus- 
tom is  an  old  one,  are  nevertheless  punished 
if  they  become  mothers.  The  great  wonder 
is  that  these  girls  are  able  to  settle  down 
after  marriage  to  a  fairly  moral  life. 

An  engaged  girl  is  easily  known  by  the 
length  of  her  hair  and  by  the  band  round 
the  head  with  cowrie  shells  hanging  from  a 
number  of  strings,  like  the  married  woman  of 
Palestine  with  her  pieces  of  money  hanging 
in  much  the  same  way. 

At  marriage  the  head  is  shaved,  certain  ear 
ornaments  discarded,  and  the  married  woman's 
skin  garments  adopted. 

The  girls  are  quite  good-looking  and  grace- 
ful, but  many  seem  to  be  actually  deformed 
owing  to  the  pressure  on  arms  and  legs  of 
the  heavy  spiral  coil  of  iron  wire. 

The  ear  has  been  chosen  by  the  Masai  as 
the  chief  member  for  ornamentation,  which 
means,  in  some  cases,  the  most  frightful  dis- 
figurement. The  lobe  is  pierced  and  then 
extended  until  it  is  made  to  take  a  piece  of 
wood  varying  in  size  from  two  to  six  inches 
in  diameter. 

There  are  various  forms  of  salutation  used 
in   the    country,  one  at  least  not  acceptable 


yS     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  a  white  visitor — namely,  that  of  spitting. 
The  Masai  are  quite  adepts  at  sending  out 
the  saliva,  through  the  notch  filed  between 
the  two  upper  incisors,  and  of  course  you 
must  take  the  salutation  in  the  spirit  in  which 
it  is  given. 

The  married  women  do  some  very  pretty 
bead-work  and  ornament  the  gourds  in  which 
the  milk  is  kept.  Milk  is  accounted  sacred, 
and  may  not  be  boiled ;  and  no  stranger  is 
supposed  to  receive  it  either  for  pay  or  as  a 
present,  but  sometimes  one  has  been  able  to 
buy  a  little  from  a  soft-hearted  lady. 

Grass  also  is  a  sacred  object,  and,  when  held 
in  the  hand,  a  sign  of  peace.  A  visitor  is 
receiving  the  most  cordial  welcome  when  the 
Masai  touch  him  with  grass. 

Ngai  is  the  great  spirit  of  this  nomadic 
people,  and  to  him,  who  dwells,  they  say,  in 
the  great  mountain  in  the  south,  they  con- 
tinually pray  for  help  and  guidance. 

A  strange  people  indeed,  and  one  not  easy 
to  deal  with  as  part  of  the  problem  before 
us.  More  interesting  than  the  Wakikuyu,  but 
not  so  hopeful,  because  they  are  pastoral  and 
not  agricultural.  Yet  even  with  a  pastoral  and 
cattle-loving  people  like  the  Masai,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  a  little  expenditure  and 
careful  organisation  will  turn  them  into  settled 


Native  Ranchers  79 


and  permanent  ranchers,  willing  to  sell  their 
improved  stock  at  the  improved  prices  offered. 

Of  course,  with  such  a  proposal  I  am  knock- 
ing right  up  against  the  one  or  two  rich 
ranchers  who  at  present  have  it  very  much 
their  own  way,  and  would  probably  not  care 
to  have  the  native  organised,  educated,  and 
helped  by  Government  to  beat  them  at  their 
own  game.  Yet  it  seems  to  me  far  more  in- 
cumbent upon  the  Government  to  develop  the 
native  human  being,  and,  by  so  doing,  develop 
land  and  stock,  than  to  neglect  the  human 
element  and  hand  over  the  land,  that  has 
been  the  grazing  land  of  the  Masai  for  ages, 
at  a  nominal  figure  to  one  or  two  rich  Eng- 
lishmen, or  to  a  syndicate,  for  the  purpose  of 
— well,  not  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the 
native. 

Though  tempted  to  leave  the  railway  and 
push  northward  beyond  Lake  Baringo  in  order 
to  visit  the  Suk  and  Turkana  peoples,  we 
must  not  do  so,  but  take  the  next  train  and 
move  westwards  to  the  Lake. 


CHAPTER  IV 


FROM  NAIROBI  TO  LAKE  VICTORIA 


The  most  beautiful  country — The  great  "fault" — The  Mau 
Escarpment  —  Giant  timber  —  A  serious  rainstorm  — 
Poisoned  arrows — Nandi  troubles — A  caravan  cut  up — 
Port  Florence — Kavirondo  peoples — A  surprise — The 
tropics  indeed — The  C.M.S. — The  power  of  example — The 
sight  of  a  lifetime — The  day  of  opportunity  for  the 
Christian  Church — Education  or  Evangelisation  ? 

T"  EAVING  Nairobi  we  push  on  to  the  Lake 


-J — ^  through  the  most  beautiful  country  of 
British  East  Africa.  We  cannot  leave  the 
native  question  behind,  for  our  very  train  has 
been  obliged  to  carry  armed  Masai  to  protect 
its  passengers  from  disloyal  natives  that  may 
be  met  with. 

Having  crossed  the  wonderful  Meridional  Rift, 
or  great  "  fault "  as  geologists  and  miners  would 
term  it,  which  stretches  almost  the  whole  length 
of  Africa,  and  here  at  Kikuyu  falls  almost  sheer 
to  a  depth  of  1,4:40  feet,  we  are  soon  passing 


80 


MASAI  WARRIORS  GUARDING  A  TRAIX  OX  THE  UGANDA  RAILWAY. 

8i 


A  Deadly  Downpour  83 

over  the  Mau  Escarpment,  with  its  mighty- 
forests  of  giant  timber  that  patiently  wait  for 
the  axe  and  saw  and  ingenuity  of  man  or 
enterprise  of  the  Government,  to  turn  the  best 
of  the  timber  to  better  account  than  fuel  for 
the  iron  horse,  and  from  the  rest  provide  that 
fuel  more  easily  and  cheaply  than  at  present. 

Already  some  enterprising  individuals  are 
working  in  a  small  way,  with  the  result  that 
almost  every  article  of  furniture  may  be  bought 
in  Nairobi  in  a  style  and  at  a  price  that  will 
compare  with  anything  in  England.  What  a 
different  journey  from  the  one  I  took  in  1895, 
when  it  was  plod,  plod,  plod  up  hill  and  down 
dale,  in  sunshine  and  shower.  One  shower  I 
remember  overtook  us  on  this  very  escarpment, 
and  I  don't  suppose  it  will  ever  be  forgotten 
by  any  of  the  party. 

We  were  descending  Mau  on  the  westward 
side  and  had  almost  reached  a  convenient 
camping-place  when  it  began  to  rain.  The 
cold  was  intense,  the  path,  bad  at  any  time, 
became  slippery  and  difficult  to  negotiate ; 
the  rivulets  became  mighty  torrents,  and  the 
porters  were  in  despair.  We  coaxed,  we 
threatened,  we  helped  with  loads,  and  carried 
men ;  but  I  believe  a  dozen  succumbed  as  the 
result  of  that  downpour. 

From  such  a  recurrence  as  that  the  railway 


84     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

has  delivered  us,  and  I,  for  one,  am  grateful. 
The  Dorobo  people,  with  their  poisoned  arrows, 
are  still  in  the  forests,  but  no  longer  have  we 
to  keep  our  men  in  close  order  lest  a  stray 
arrow  should  find  an  untimely  resting-place. 
The  engine  pants  and  pufPs  and  snorts,  and 
eventually  reaches  the  highest  point  from 
which  we  run  down  at  an  increased  speed  into 
a  totally  different  climate. 

We  have  reached  what  for  purposes  of 
administration  is  called  the  Province  of  Kisumu, 
through  which  the  railway  was  hurried  to  the 
Lake  by  a  short  cut  when  the  patience  of  the 
British  taxpayer  had  almost  reached  its  limit. 
En  route  it  taps  the  countries  of  Nandi, 
Lumbwa,  and  Kavirondo. 

For  some  time  past  the  Nandi  people  have 
given  considerable  trouble,  and  at  one  station 
there  was  gruesome  evidence  of  their  having 
paid  a  visit  just  before  our  arrival.  Our  Masai 
guard  seemed  quite  disappointed  that  they 
had  missed  an  opportunity  of  displaying  their 
powers ;  but  the  passengers  were  too  fluttered 
by  the  sight  of  one  dead  man  to  wish  for 
more  bloodshed. 

It  reminded  me  of  my  first  visit  to  the 
Nandi  country  and  of  a  ghastly  experience  of 
their  bloodthirstiness. 

Our  caravan  of  some  six  hundred  porters 


A  Ghastly  and  Painful  Sight  85 

was  delayed  at  the  coast  for  a  short  time  :  and 
a  small  caravan  of  some  thirty  mail-carriers 
was  despatched  in  front  of  us.  When  we 
reached  Eldoma  Ravine,  a  wounded  Swahili 
crawled  into  our  camp  and  told  a  tale  of  awful 
butchery.  He,  with  the  other  mail-runners,  had 
passed  the  Ravine  in  safety,  and  had  reached 
the  border  of  Nandi  country,  where  they 
encamped  for  the  night.  The  Nandi  warriors 
had  watched  their  every  movement,  and  sud- 
denly swooped  down  and  killed  every  man  but 
the  one  who  escaped  to  tell  us  the  terrible 
story. 

Our  doctor  attended  his  wounds  and  he  was 
able  to  go  on  with  us  and  point  out  the  scene  of 
his  awful  experience.  It  was  a  ghastly  and 
painful  sight,  and  we  delayed  our  march  an 
hour  or  two  in  order  to  collect  letters  and 
valuables  belonging  to  waiting  friends  in 
Uganda,  and  to  obliterate  the  more  marked 
evidences  of  a  savage  attack. 

Now,  however,  we  are  hurried  on  along  the 
iron  road,  through  the  countries  of  Nandi 
and  Kavirondo  to  Kisumu,  also  named  Port 
Florence,  after  the  wife  of  some  official,  whom 
I  sincerely  hope  was  not  responsible  for  choos- 
ing such  a  filthy,  shallow,  fever  swamp  at  which 
to  fix  the  Uganda  Railway  terminus. 

The  population  of  the  Kisumu  Province  is 


86     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

roughly  computed  to  be  a  million  and  a  half, 
and  embraces  the  peoples  of  Nandi,  Lumbwa, 
Kavirondo,  Sotik,  Kisi,  and  Ugaya. 

The  Nandi  and  Lumbwa  peoples  are  related, 
and  belong  to  the  Nilotic  Bari  group.  Both  are 
of  a  fierce  temperament,  but  the  Nandi  have 
given  the  Administration  most  trouble,  and  have 
recently  been  removed  from  the  vicinity  of  the 
railway  into  a  reserve  situate  to  the  east  of 
Mount  Elgon.  This  move  on  the  part  of  the 
Government  is  probably  neither  more  nor  less 
than  to  restore  the  Nandi  people  to  their 
original  home  from  which  they  were  driven  by 
the  Masai  when  that  people  first  invaded 
Equatorial  Africa  a  hundred  years  ago. 

Kavirondo  is  populated  by  two  distinct  races 
of  people — the  Bantu,  who  are  of  the  aboriginal 
stock,  still  found  on  Mount  Elgon,  and  the 
Nilotics,  who  are  closely  related  to  the  Gang 
or  Acholi  Lur  people,  from  whom,  legend 
declares,  they  separated  to  seek  a  country  of 
their  own,  and  having  sought  to  encroach  on 
the  land  of  the  Kimam  people  who  occupy  the 
country  north  of  Lake  Kyoga,  i.e.,  north-west 
of  Mount  Elgon,  they  were  thoroughly  beaten 
and  driven  through  the  country,  now  unin- 
habited, west  of  Elgon,  right  down  to  the 
shores  of  Lake  Victoria. 
The  surprise  of  a  traveller  who,  fresh  from 


The  Nilotic  Kavirondo  87 


Europe,  has  never  left  the  train  on  its  journey 
from  Mombasa,  and  now  finds  himself  deposited 
in  the  midst  of  a  grinning  crowd  of  absolutely 
nude  natives,  must  be  great  indeed.  Yet  that 
is  just  what  he  will  find  at  Kisumu. 

Nowhere  are  the  Nilotic  peoples  very  keen  on 
clothing,  but  nowhere  are  they  less  keen  than  in 
Southern  Kavirondo ;  and,  of  course,  the  question 
again  crops  up.  What  can  be  done  with  such 
a  people  ?  Here  they  are  in  teeming  numbers, 
very  industrious  to  supply  their  own  scanty 
needs,  rich  in  cattle,  splendid  in  physique,  in 
no  danger  from  white  competition,  for,  as  I 
said  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  the 
western  side  of  the  Mau  Escarpment  is  another 
climate  to  that  of  the  Highlands  of  British  East 
Africa. 

Here  we  are  in  the  tropics  indeed,  with  all 
the  discomforts,  all  the  dangers  incidental  to 
a  tropical  coimtry  and  climate  ;  and  whilst  the 
white  man  and  Asiatic  is  able  to  live  and 
supervise  for  a  short  time  the  work  of  others, 
they  will  never  be  able  to  look  upon  this  part 
of  Africa  with  such  longing  eyes  as  to  cause  the 
native  any  anxiety  with  respect  to  the  land. 

The  question  is,  Can  we  cause  him  any  anxiety 
at  all?  Here  is  a  vast  population,  touched  by 
the  Uganda  Railway  and  the  varied  influences 
that  represents,  and  yet  quite  untouched  by  any 


88     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

desire  for  progress  in  the  way  that  the  best  kind 
of  civilisation  might  suggest. 

Nothing  has  been  done  by  the  Government  to 
whet  his  appetite  for  progress ;  for  taxation, 
whilst  necessary,  tends  the  other  way,  and  no 
country  will  develop  on  taxation  alone. 

The  native  of  British  East  Africa  has  not  been 
utterly  neglected,  however,  for  since  the  year 
1844,  when  the  Church  Missionary  Society  began 
work  at  Mombasa,  the  Christian  missionary  has 
been  striving  to  improve  his  lot. 

It  was  the  agents  of  this  Society  that  gave 
an  impetus  to  the  geographical  enterprise  that 
eventually  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  great 
inland  lakes  and  the  source  of  the  Nile.  It  was 
chiefly  through  this  Society's  efforts  that  the 
Parliamentary  Committee  of  1871  was  obtained, 
which  led  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere's  Mission  to  Zanzi- 
bar in  the  following  year.  In  1874  Frere  Town 
was  established  by  the  Rev.  W.  S.  Price,  and 
in  1875  five  hundred  slaves,  rescued  by  H.M. 
cruisers,  were  handed  over  to  him,  and  housed, 
fed,  instructed,  and  trained  to  work  for  their 
living. 

Since  that  time  the  work  at  Mombasa  and 
Frere  Town  has  been  strengthened  by  additional 
workers,  and  other  stations  have  been  opened  at 
Rabai,  Giryama,  Taita,  Taveta,  Ukamba,  Nairobi, 
Kikuyu,  and  Kenya.     Other  sections  of  the 


The  C.M.S.  89 


Christian  Church  have  been  awakened  to  a 
sense  of  responsibility  and  opportunity  with 
regard  to  this  part  of  the  world,  and  good 
work  has  been  and  is  being  done  by  the 
Church  of  Scotland  Mission  established  at 
Kibwezi  in  1891  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Directors  of  the  British  East  Africa  Com- 
pany, and  some  other  missions  of  more 
recent  date. 

All  education  and  industrial  training  offered 
to  the  native  up  to  a  little  over  a  year  ago 
was  offered  by  these  various  missions,  first 
initiated  by  the  C.M.S. 

Since  1907  a  trading  company  has  been  estab- 
lished in  British  East  Africa  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  the  native  products.  Being  under 
Christian  auspices,  the  native  people  come  in  for 
a  share  of  attention,  but  I  have  not  yet  heard 
with  what  success. 

The  religious  side  of  the  white  man's  effort  to 
help  the  native  has  certainly  advanced  during 
the  last  few  years,  for  thirteen  years  ago  there 
was  nothing  being  done  between  Kibwezi  and 
the  Lake. 

Let  us  not  forget,  however,  that  the  neglect 
by  the  Christian  Church  of  the  various  tribes 
we  have  been  looking  at  in  this  and  the  last 
chapter,  until  the  opening  up  of  their  countries 
by  the  railway,  and  the  introduction  of  good 

5 


go     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

and  bad  —  often  very  bad  —  civilisation,  has 
tended  to  make  the  work  of  the  missionary  a 
thousandfold  more  difficult  than  it  would  have 
been  a  few  years  ago. 

The  work  of  the  C.M.S.  at  Mombasa  and 
Frere  Town  has  always  been  somewhat  difficult, 
but  with  the  great  increase  of  trade  it  is 
doubly  so  now,  for  like  all  seaports  the  tempta- 
tions offered  to  the  natives  are  of  a  specially 
strong  character,  and  we  who  know  our  Liver- 
pool, London,  Sunderland,  and  Tyneside  will 
understand  and  sympathise  with  those  who  are 
tempted  and  those  who  are  seeking  to  help 
them. 

It  is  a  sad  fact  that  much  of  the  native 
Christianity — if  I  may  so  express  it — I  mean,  of 
course,  the  native  conception  and  reflection  of 
Christianity,  has  always  suffered  from  the  poor 
example  of  nominal  white  Christians ;  and  this 
has  been  the  more  marked  since  the  advent  of 
the  Uganda  Railway. 

Shall  I  ever  forget  the  sight  I  saw  at  Frere 
Town  and  Rabai — which  I  suppose  would  be 
impossible  to-day — when  crowds  of  people  who 
had  themselves  been  slaves,  and  others  who 
were  the  descendants  of  slaves,  welcomed  us  to 
Africa  as  the  ambassadors  of  Christ,  joined  with 
us  in  intelligent  worship  of  the  Great  God  and 
Father  of  us  all,  committed  us  by  prayer  into 


Mohammedan  Missionaries  91 


His  keeping,  and  prayed  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
would  go  with  us  into  the  very  countries  from 
which  they  themselves  had  been  dragged  by 
slave-traders,  and  enable  us  there  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  all  True  Light  and  Life  and 
Liberty,  Jesus  Christ? 

This  is  the  time  of  special  temptation,  special 
need,  and  special  opportunity.  Is  the  Church 
to  expect  the  Government  to  do  its  duty  and 
yet  neglect  her  own  ? 

Let  us  remember  that  Mohammedan  traders 
from  Abyssinia  are  meeting  Mohammedan 
traders  from  Mombasa,  and  every  Mohammedan 
trader  is  a  missionary  of  the  false  prophet. 
Mohammedan  interpreters  for  some  reason  or 
another  are  in  every  Government  boma,  and 
Mohammedan  interpreters  are  no  less  mis- 
sionaries. These  men  are  not  afraid  to  push 
into  unknown  countries,  whilst  we  Christians 
are  in  danger  of  sitting  on  each  other  in  one 
or  two  districts  quite  near  to  the  railroad. 
These  men  are  never  ashamed  or  tired  of  pro- 
pagating their  faith,  whilst  to  the  average 
white  man  to  mention  the  name  of  Jesus  is 
supposed  to  be  "bad  form." 

Now  seems  the  time  and  opportunity  to  press 
in  to  British  East  Africa  large  forces  of  evan- 
gelists with  cool  heads  and  warm  hearts, 
capable  of  co-operating  with  the  Government 


92     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  supply  all  necessary  education  without  let 
or  hindrance  to  their  evangelistic  misson. 
Should  it  ever  come  to  a  choice  between 
evangelisation  and  education,  for  the  sake 
of  some  proffered  grant,  then  let  the  grant 
and  the  education  go ;  but  of  this  anon. 

At  present  we  are  at  Kisumu.  We  have 
travelled  584  miles,  in  as  many  days  as  it  once 
took  us  months,  and  here  we  are  without  one 
man  having  dropped  out;  not  a  worry  about 
food  or  water,  wild  beast  or  savage  tribe  :  a 
marvel  indeed  !  Let  us  be  grateful  and  take  off 
our  hats  to  this  monument  of  British  enterprise, 
then  turn  our  gaze  upon  another  wonder  for 
size,  grandeur,  and  beauty — the  Lake  Victoria. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  LAKE  VICTORIA:    ITS  SURROUND- 
INGS AND  SCOURGE 


First  view  of  Lake  Victoria — A  sight  to  enrapture — Waiting 
for  breakfast — A  picture  from  fairyland — The  islanders 
of  Sese — A  voyage  of  discovery — Life  hanging  by  a  thread 
— From  Uganda  to  German  territory — Baganda  influence 
— Dangers  of  the  sea — The  Bavuma — Steamers — Area  and 
variety  of  Lake — A  round  trip — Sleeping  sickness — Death 
and  desolation — Doctors  A.  R.  and  J.  H.  Cook — Sleeping 
sickness  means  great  suffering — Dangerous  patients — 
Spread  of  the  disease — Cause  of  the  tragedy — The  tsetse 
fly — The  crocodile  theory — Is  there  a  cure  ? — Experiments 
— A  barrage  over  the  Eipon  Falls — Nearing  Uganda. 


Y  first  view  of  Lake  Victoria  was  from  a 


high  hiU  in  Usoga,  one  morning  at  break 
of  day. 

Placid  and  glittering,  kissed  by  the  slanting 
rays,  dotted  with  innumerable  islands,  and 
backed  by  mainland  that  at  one  point  appeared 
to  be  a  grassy  lawn,  at  another  a  cultivated 
garden,  at  another  a  frowning  headland,  and 


93 


94     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

at  another  an  inviting  sylvan  retreat ;  it  was 
a  picture  to  enrapture  and  remember  for 
ever. 

At  closer  range  this  great  fresh-water  sea, 
nearly  4,000  feet  above  the  Indian  Ocean,  was 
no  less  charming,  and  infinitely  more  interest- 
ing, with  quaint  inhabitants  on  its  shores  and 
in  its  waters. 

There,  within  a  stone's  throw,  for  all  the 
world  like  a  log  of  wood,  lies  a  great  lazy 
crocodile,  waiting  for  the  breakfast  it  is  all 
too  certain  to  get,  for  the  cattle  will  soon  come 
down  to  drink,  and  the  younger  ones  are  care- 
less. Or,  maybe,  it  has  heard  the  rhythmic 
splash  of  paddles  keeping  time  to  the  spirited 
chanting,  albeit  in  a  minor  key,  of  some  delight- 
ful folk-song  being  sung  in  the  distance.  It 
seems  to  know  that  we  are  waiting  for  the 
singers,  and  listlessly  follows  our  example  until 
around  a  jutting  promontory  comes  into  view 
a  picture  that  might  have  dropped  from  fairy- 
land, at  which  the  crocodile  immediately 
vanishes  out  of  sight. 

A  flotilla  of  canoes  such  as  we  have  never 
seen  before,  long  and  graceful,  coloured  red 
with  earth,  and  prows  adorned  with  the  horns 
of  antelope.  Each  vessel  is  propelled  by 
twenty  paddlers  or  more,  who,  the  moment 
they   catch   sight  of  us,  put  additional  zest 


Sailor-men  of  Lake  Victoria  95 

into  both  song  and  work,  and  send  their  frail- 
looking  craft  skimming  towards  us. 

They  are  the  islanders  of  Sese,  a  populous 
group,  situate  to  the  north-west  of  the  Lake ; 
and  they  are  also  the  subservient  sailor-men  of 
Uganda,  who  have  been  sent  with  part  of  that 
kingdom's  navy  to  carry  us  a  six  days'  voyage 
from  the  shore  of  Kavirondo  on  the  east,  to 
Uganda  in  the  north. 

They  run  their  canoes  into  shallow  water 
and  jump  overboard  heedless  of  danger,  until 
there  is  a  shriek  and  a  tremendous  noise  of 
splashing  and  shouting,  to  the  consternation 
of  the  European  onlookers,  who  are  certain 
that  some  tragedy  has  happened,  until  they 
learn  later  that  only  a  portion  of  a  man's  cloth- 
ing had  been  secured  by  the  crocodile.  The 
man  was  badly  scared  and  the  rest  were  more 
careful. 

All  loads  are  quickly  put  aboard  ;  the  Euro- 
peans given  places  of  honour  under  a  thatched 
canopy  temporarily  erected  in  the  bow,  and  the 
voyage  begins — a  voyage  of  discovery. 

The  traveller  is  naturally  interested  in  the 
vessel  that  carries  him,  and  he  is  considerably 
disconcerted  to  learn  in  the  first  place  that  it 
literally  hangs  together  by  a  mere  thread.  He 
learns  also  that  these  dusky  mariners  are  very 
human,  and  immensely  enjoy  the  knowledge 


96     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

that  to  suddenly  stop  paddling  and  punctuate 
their  song  by  a  mighty  thud  with  the  paddles 
on  the  side  of  the  canoe,  which  makes  it  shiver 
again,  increases  the  white  man's  nervousness 
about  himself,  and  his  respect  for  their  bravery. 
These  preliminaries,  however,  are  soon  over, 
and  the  European  enough  at  ease  with  men 
and  boat  and  sea  to  enable  him  to  secure  such 
information  as  the  following  : — 

It  takes  fourteen  days  to  travel  by  canoe 
from  Uganda  in  the  north  to  German  territory 
in  the  south. 

The  Basese,  from  whom  the  canoe  men  are 
drawn,  are  the  people  who  inhabit  the  group  of 
islands  already  mentioned.  They  were  con- 
quered by  the  people  of  Uganda  and  made 
tributary  to  them. 

Baganda  chiefs  look  upon  the  islands  as  their 
property,  and  one,  with  the  rank  and  ofiB.ce  of 
admiral,  is  lord  over  all.  He  is  responsible  for 
organising  the  islanders  and  their  canoes  into 
a  navy,  to  be  used  by  the  Baganda  on  their 
many  marauding  expeditions. 

The  Basese  build  the  canoes  and  are  allowed 
to  cut  timber  for  this  purpose  in  the  forests  of 
Uganda.  There  I  have  often  seen  them,  hewing 
with  their  insignificant  axes  giant  trees  from 
each  of  which  they  secured  only  two  boards  ; 
all  the  rest  was    waste.     The  boards  were 


Boats  and  Billows  97 


thinned  and  bent  and  sewn  together  with 
the  fibre  of  a  palm-tree,  which  lasts  a  con- 
siderable time,  but  has  been  known  to 
give  way  and  allow  the  keel  board  to  drop 
out  at  an  inconvenient  distance  from  the 
shore. 

Even  with  such  a  liability  to  dissolution, 
the  canoe  on  the  Victoria  Nyanza  is  an 
advance  on  the  primitive  dug-out,  still  gene- 
rally used  on  Lakes  Kyoga,  Albert,  and  Albert 
Edward. 

Nothing  will  induce  our  paddlers  to  face  the 
open  sea ;  they  know  its  moods  too  well — its 
sudden  squalls,  its  terrible  storms  that  lash 
its  ripples  into  mountainous  billows  that  would 
at  once  engulf  their  cockle-shells.  They  make 
for  shore  at  the  first  sign  of  "  weather " ;  and, 
of  course,  the  traveller  must  encamp  on  land 
at  night.  Here  he  makes  the  acquaintance 
of  Africa's  scourge,  the  mosquito ;  and  more 
likely  than  not  he  will  receive  a  nocturnal 
visit  from  the  hippopotamus  which  in  the  day- 
time is  too  shy  to  seek  exercise  and  sweet 
potatoes. 

Only  a  passing  glimpse  of  Usoga's  luxuriant 
shores  is  possible,  but  it  is  necessary  to  visit 
en  route  the  group  of  islands  known  as  the 
Buvuma  Islands,  lying  to  the  north-east  of  the 
Lake. 


98     Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


Less  than  ten  years  ago  this  group,  like  that 
of  Sese,  was  thickly  populated ;  but  whilst  the 
Basese  had  become  subservient  to  Baganda,  the 
Bavuma,  being  a  hardy,  warlike,  and  indepen- 
dent folk,  had  held  their  own  against  the  repeated 
attacks  of  the  people  from  the  mainland,  and 
not  until  the  Baganda  were  assisted  by  Stanley 
and  Williams  were  these  islanders  the  least  sub- 
dued. To  travellers  they  were  kind,  peaceable, 
and  hospitable. 

other  islands  were  met  with,  lying  off  the 
shore  of  Kyagwe,  Uganda's  south-eastern  pro- 
vince, and  a  great  deal  might  be  written  about 
the  flora  and  fauna  of  some  of  these  beauty 
spots ;  but,  alas  !  one  absorbing  interest  over- 
shadows all  others,  for  the  islands  and  mainland 
is  in  the  grip  of  a  terrible  scourge — the  sleeping 
sickness — a  sorrowful  reason  for  the  passing 
away  of  the  old  sights  and  sounds  that  made 
Lake  Victoria  a  scene  of  never-failing  interest. 
Another,  and  happier,  reason  why  the  old 
method  of  traversing  the  Lake  has  passed  away 
is  that  more  up-to-date  craft  are  to  be  found; 
and  the  traveller  by  the  Uganda  Railway  has 
but  to  step  from  his  carriage  on  to  a  hand- 
somely found  Government  steamer — one  of  four 
now  plying  for  freight  and  passengers  between 
the  railway  terminus  and  the  countries  border- 
ing the  Nyanza.    By  one  steamer,  which  leaves 


A  Round  Trip  loi 


Kisumu  every  fortnight,  he  may,  if  he  wishes, 
make  a  tour  of  a  thousand  miles.  It  will  take 
him  south  to  Mwanza  in  German  territory,  then 
west  to  Bukoba,  north  to  Entebbe,  east  to  Jinja 
near  the  Ripon  Falls,  and  thence  to  Kisumu 
again. 

Such  a  tour  will  give  a  good  idea  of  the  Lake's 
vast  area  of  40,000  square  miles  ;  the  variety  in 
scenery  and  vegetation  ;  whilst  the  fish,  croco- 
diles, and  hippopotami  will  always  keep  interest 
alive. 

By  another  steamer,  which  awaits  the  weekly 
"  up "  train,  it  is  possible  to  cross  direct  to 
Uganda;  and  this  is  now  the  natural  route  for 
all  who  wish  to  get  into  speedy  touch  with 
the  official,  business,  or  missionary  life  of  that 
country;  but  let  us  linger  by  the  way,  and  see 
for  ourselves  some  results  of  this  awful  disease 
of  sleeping  sickness,  unknown  to  Uganda  or 
East  Africa  ten  years  ago. 

It  meets  us  at  rail-head,  and  if  we  travel 
southward  we  find  that  it  has  been  before  us. 
It  has  decimated  the  population,  and  is  spread- 
ing still  further  south,  in  spite  of  every  pre- 
caution of  English  and  German  specialists. 
Northward  its  ravages  have  been  even  more 
appalling,  because  of  the  greater  population  it 
had  to  work  amongst;  and  as  we  march  through 
Kavirondo  and  Usoga  to  the  Ripon  Falls  where 


I02    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

we  may  take  the  ferry  to  Uganda,  we  pass 
through  silent  wastes  which,  less  than  ten  years 
ago,  were  teeming  with  population.  The  same 
scenes  of  desolation  and  death  are  to  be  met 
with  all  round  the  Uganda  shores  of  the  Lake, 
and  on  all  the  islands. 

The  men  who  made  and  paddled  the  canoes 
have  been  almost  totally  wiped  out  of  existence, 
for  not  an  island  has  escaped.  Death,  death, 
death  everywhere;  and  death  preceded  by  heart? 
rending  suffering. 

Writing  of  one  of  the  Buvuma  Islands,  situ- 
ate near  to  Usoga,  the  "  Uganda  Notes  "  says  : 
"  Bugaya  is  best  known  as  a  port  of  call  for  the 
steamers,  where  firewood  is  taken  on  board. 
At  one  time  the  island  had  a  dense  population  ; 
a  few  years  ago  the  chief,  Muzito,  was  capable 
of  putting  2,300  fighting-men  in  the  field ;  and 
the  people  were  so  crowded  that  each  man  had 
his  plot  of  ground  marked  out  for  him — a  long 
strip,  some  three  or  four  yards  in  width  and 
perhaps  half  a  mile  or  more  in  length.  These 
plots  were  marked  off  by  stones  laid  in  a  line, 
and  no  one  was  allowed  to  dig  in  another's  plot. 
The  stones  still  remain,  a  melancholy  mark  of 
past  prosperity,  but  the  gardens  are,  for  the 
most  part,  indistinguishable  from  a  field.  The 
whole  island  has  a  deserted  appearance.  Where, 
a  few  years  ago,  there  were  1,900  houses  occu- 


Sleeping  Sickness  103 


pied,  there  are  now  hardly  200.  In  one  shamba 
(garden  village)  there  stood  200  native  huts ; 
now  only  6  of  these  are  tenanted.  In  another 
of  170  huts,  only  2  remain ;  in  a  third  of  250 
houses  there  is  left  a  solitary  one.  In  another 
shamba,  high  up  on  a  hill,  of  70  huts,  there  is 
now  not  a  single  one  occupied.  Nor  is  it  that 
the  people  have  left :  they  seem  to  prefer  to  die 
in  their  homes ;  and  very  few,  if  any,  have  left 
the  island." 

The  same  story  is  true  along  the  coast  of  the 
mainland.  Villages  I  once  knew  well  have 
passed  out  of  existence,  and,  where  houses  re- 
main, the  people  are  dead.  In  one  instance 
where  the  huts  were  standing  I  approached 
those  having  evidences  of  occupation ;  indeed, 
the  owner  of  one  sat  at  the  door,  and  I  wished 
to  ask  him  the  distance  to  the  Lake.  He  sat  as  a 
native  does  in  sickness  or  sorrow — with  his  arms 
resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  head  bowed  down. 
I  gave  him  the  customary  salutation  and  rested 
my  hand  upon  him,  when  my  boys,  in  sudden 
terror,  besought  me  to  leave  the  place.  I  asked 
them  why,  and  candidly  confess  I  was  some- 
what startled  when  they  informed  me  that  the 
man  from  whom  I  was  seeking  information  was 
a  corpse.  Alone  and  untended,  he  had  passed 
away  just  before  my  arrival — the  last  of  his 
village    probably  to    succumb   to  the  awful 


I04  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

affliction  from  which  they  all  think  it  useless 
to  flee. 

I  think  I  am  right  in  saying  that  sleeping 
sickness  was  first  observed  in  Uganda  by  the 
Doctors  A.  R.  and  J.  H.  Cook,  of  the  C.M.S. 
Hospital  at  Namirembe,  in  the  year  1901 ;  and 
from  that  time  these  two  exceptionally  clever 
and  self-denying  men  have  been  untiring  in 
their  efforts  to  find  a  cure  and  to  alleviate  the 
sufPerings  of  their  patients. 

To  many  the  fact  that  the  patients  suffer  is  a 
great  surprise,  because,  misled  by  the  name — 
sleeping  sickness — they  suppose  the  people  are 
simply  attacked  by  drowsiness  and  quietly  sleep 
away. 

How  very  different  is  what  actually  happens  ! 
Lassitude,  drowsiness,  swollen  glands,  severe 
pains  in  head  and  chest ;  emaciation  compar- 
able to  phthisis  condition  ;  restlessness,  pain  in 
stomach  and  abdomen  ;  hallucinations ;  inability 
to  control  one's  actions,  so  that  the  patient  is 
liable  to  become  a  mental,  moral,  and  physical 
wreck — a  terror  to  himself  and  the  neighbour- 
hood in  which  he  resides. 

In  some  cases  the  development  of  the  disease 
is  very  rapid,  whilst  others  linger  for  years  after 
having  been  declared  affected. 

It  will  be  easily  understood  with  what  anxiety 
such  a  plague  has  been  studied  by  the  authori- 


A  Terrible  Disease  105 


ties,  and  how  all  concerned  have  longed  for  a 
cure.  Everything  possible  has  been  done  by  the 
Government  doctors — noble  young  fellows  who 
have  risked  their  lives — and,  in  one  instance, 
Lieut.  TuUock  gave  his  life  in  seeking  to  trace 
the  course  of  the  disease. 

However  the  disease  came  to  Lake  Victoria, 
all  are  agreed  that  it  came  from  the  west.  It 
is  also  generally  agreed  that  the  enmity  of  the 
various  tribes  made  it  impossible  for  people  to 
pass  from  one  district  to  another  until  the  Euro- 
pean nations  apportioned  Africa,  when  the  Pax 
Britannica  made  it  possible  for  travellers  to 
come  in  from  the  west  and  bring  with  them, 
first  the  jigger  pest — which  in  1897  had  not 
reached  Mombasa,  but  to-day  is  busy  in  India — 
and  then  the  sleeping  sickness  disease  which  has 
done  such  havoc,  as  we  have  seen,  and  is  now 
making  its  way  to  Lake  Tanganyika  and  the 
life  of  British  Central  Africa. 

What  causes  the  tragedy  ?  is  the  general  ques- 
tion, and  one  not  very  easy  to  answer;  for  the 
presence  in  the  cerebro-spinal  fluid,  or  in  the 
blood  of  a  patient,  of  a  minute  worm-like  object 
— a  trypanosome  or  trypanosoma  discovered  by 
Dr.  Castellani — which  sets  up  a  condition  akin 
to  cerebro-spinal  fever  or  meningitis,  is  really 
no  answer  to  the  idea  behind  the  question, 
"What  is  the  cause?" 


io6   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

It  has  been  conclusively  demonstrated  by 
Colonel  Bruce  and  his  assistants  that  the  con- 
necting link  between  the  trypanosome  in  the 
patient  and  the  source  of  the  disease  is  a  kind 
of  tsetse  fly — the  Glossina  palpalis — about  which 
there  can  be  no  mistake,  for  although  no  bigger 
than  the  ordinary  house-fly,  it  can  be  picked  out 
at  once  because  of  the  peculiar  way  in  which  it 
crosses  its  wings  when  at  rest. 

The  habits  of  these  flies  have  been  carefully 
observed  by  the  doctors  at  great  personal  risk 
and  inconvenience.  It  has  been  found  that  they 
live  in  the  trees  at  the  side  of  a  lake  or  on  the 
banks  of  a  river,  and  that  they  lay  their  eggs 
on  the  ground  near  to  the  water's  edge.  It  has 
been  proved  that,  like  bees,  they  "  home  "  to  a 
certain  district,  and  it  is  hoped  that  by  killing 
off  the  eggs,  cutting  down  trees,  and  generally 
making  a  district  less  favourable  to  propagation 
the  pest  may  be  cleared  out. 

Still  the  question  remains,  "What  is  the  source 
of  the  disease  ?  "  The  fly  carries  the  germ,  the 
trypanosome  is  the  evidence  of  the  germ  having 
been  propagated,  but  whence  comes  the  germ 
apart  from  already  infected  patients,  and, 
consequently,  what  is  the  real  cause  of  the 
disease  ? 

In  the  year  1905  I  heard  that  crocodiles  had 
been  suggested  by  some  English  doctor,  and  my 


The  Crocodile  Theory  107 


informant  was  equally  certain  that  hippopotami 
were  to  be  taken  into  account ;  consequently  I 
was  much  interested  to  read  that  Professor 
Koch,  the  German  specialist,  in  his  account  of 
the  subject  before  the  German  Emperor,  pro- 
fessed his  acceptance  of  the  crocodile  theory, 
i.e.,  that  the  fly  feeds  on  the  blood  of  the  croco- 
dile and  carries  from  the  crocodile  to  the  human 
being  the  germ  of  sleeping  sickness,  and  that 
the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  exterminate  the 
crocodile. 

Whether  this  theory  is  correct  or  not,  it 
seems  somewhat  strange  that  no  effort  has 
been  made  to  exterminate  such  a  pest  and 
menace  to  human  life  as  the  crocodile.  For 
the  theory  itself  we  must  remember  that  croco- 
dile, tsetse  fly,  and  native  were  living  close 
together  before  the  year  1900 — then  why  was 
there  no  sleeping  sickness?  The  germ  of 
that  disease  was  probably  lacking,  and  was 
brought  when  trade  routes  and  inter-tribal 
communications  were  opened  by  the  Pax 
Britannica.  If  so,  how  did  it  get  to  the  islands 
first? 

Such  questions  are  of  far  less  importance  than 
the  next  one,  namely.  How  can  we  destroy  the 
trypanosomes  in  the  patient?  English  Govern- 
ment doctors,  civil  and  military,  doctors  from 
the  Liverpool  School  of  Tropical  Medicine,  the 

6 


io8    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


medical  missionaries  Cook,  German  and  Belgian 
doctors  have  all  been  labouring  with  patience, 
zeal,  and  wonderful  self-abnegation  in  their 
endeavour  to  answer  this  question,  and  with 
a  certain  amount  of  success,  but,  alas  !  without 
securing  a  permanent  cure.  To  be  inoculated 
by  the  fly — Glossina  palpalis — is  to  receive  sen- 
tence of  death. 

Small  doses  of  arsenic  hypodermically  injected 
was  one  of  the  first  experiments,  but  it  caused 
the  patients  a  good  deal  of  agony,  some  of 
them  begging  to  be  allowed  to  die.  An  atoxyl, 
an  admixture  of  arsenic  and  aniline,  was  used 
at  Liverpool  and  London,  and  then  tried  in 
Uganda.  This  treatment  has  not  only  given 
relief,  but  has  caused  the  trypanosomes  to  dis- 
appear, for  a  time,  from  the  blood.  Whether, 
as  has  been  suggested,  their  reappearance  can 
be  prevented  and  a  permanent  cure  effected  by 
a  further  administration  of  a  salt  of  mercury 
remains  to  be  proved.  After  long  delay  the 
Government  decided  to  deal  with  the  affected 
areas.  Segregation  camps  have  been  estab- 
lished and  the  people  removed  from  the  Lake 
shore.  All  living  in  camps  are  placed  under 
the  atoxyl  treatment,  and  the  percentage  of 
deaths  has  been  low. 

Unfortunately  a  serious  famine  has  inter- 
fered with    the    good    work    in   Usoga,  and 


The  Tsetse  Fly  109 

thousands  of  deaths  have  taken  place  that 
may  or  may  not  have  been  connected  vrith 
sleeping  sickness. 

All  shrubs  and  trees  are  being  cut  down  near 
to  the  Lake  side,  and  large  tracts  are  being 
put  under  sweet  potato  cultivation.  In  this 
way  the  fly  is  deprived  of  its  home,  and  will, 
it  is  hoped,  die  out.  The  eggs  of  the  fly  can 
only  be  effectively  dealt  with  by  raising  the 
level  of  the  Lake,  and  although  we  have  not 
yet  reached  the  Nile,  I  may,  apropos  of  this 
subject  of  sleeping  sickness,  express  the  wish 
that  soon  we  shall  see  a  barrage  built  across 
the  Ripon  Falls,  and  thus  be  able  to  regulate 
the  height  of  the  Lake  in  such  a  way  as  to 
deal  with  a  pest  like  the  "  Kivu  "  fly  by  drown- 
ing out  its  young. 

Now  let  us  continue  our  journey  across  the 
Lake  in  what  is  more  like  a  trim,  well-kept 
private  yacht  than  a  trade  steamer.  Every- 
thing on  board  is  spick  and  span ;  and  the 
dusky  sailor-men  move  about  in  an  alert 
fashion  that  speaks  well  for  the  kindness  and 
ability  of  their  officers.  On  deck  and  below, 
all  is  in  such  order  that  the  voyage  from  rail- 
head to  Uganda  is  far  too  short.  A  well- 
cooked  meal,  a  clean  bunk,  and  a  comfortable 
bath  is  a  great  luxury  compared  with  old 
methods  of  crossing  ;  and  the  wonder  and  ex- 


no   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


pectation  of  the  traveller  are  heightened  when 
he  learns  that  the  brisk  youth  who  oils  the 
engine  in  such  a  business-like  fashion  is  only 
an  ordinary  peasant  lad  of  Uganda,  the  shores 
of  which  he  is  fast  approaching. 


112 


CHAPTER  VI 


UGANDA:   FLORA,  FAUNA,  AND  OTHER 
THINGS 


Beautiful  Entebbe  —  Capital  of  civil  administration — The 
native  opinion — A  mistake — The  road  to  Mengo — No 
advance — Appearance  of  country — A  large  garden — Cotton 
cultivation — Value  of  cotton  export — Climatic  conditions 
— Extent  of  Uganda  Protectorate — Agricultural  possibilities 
— Rubber,  cultivated  and  indigenous — A  cheap  concession 
— Timber — Wild  animals — A  bull  buffalo — Death  of  Dr. 
Densham — A  native  report  of  a  lion  hunt — Insect  pests — 
Mosquitoes  and  malaria — Value  and  use  of  mosquito  nets 
— Danger  of  rest-houses — Necessity  of  change — Protection 
against  sun — Blackwater  fever. 


EAUTIFUL,    perfectly  beautiful!    is  the 


-L'  verdict  of  whoever  views  Entebbe, 
Uganda's  port,  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer. 
And,  if  possible,  more  perfectly  beautiful  when 
viewed  from  certain  vantage-points  on  shore. 

Well-built  brick  bungalows,  substantial  offices, 
up-to-date  stores,  a  botanical  garden,  a  bank, 
a  pretty  English  church,  good  roads  (in  dry 


113 


114  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

weather),  and  a  Government  House,  all  bespeak 
the  capital,  and  such  it  is,  for  here  is  the  seat 
of  Uganda's  civil  administration,  very  beauti- 
fully but  very  mistakenly  situate  at  the  end 
of  a  narrow  promontory  from  which  the  un- 
tutored native  says  the  white  man  is  ever 
ready  to  flee  in  time  of  danger. 

No  doubt  the  idea  of  safety  was  in  the 
military  mind  that  chose  the  situation ;  but  at 
this  time  of  day  there  seems  little  to  recom- 
mend it  save  the  fact  that  the  steamer  from 
Kisumu  calls  once  a  week.  It  is  not  the  real 
capital  of  Uganda:  it  is  not  at  all  central 
either  for  trade  or  administration ;  it  has  cost 
much  to  make  it  tolerably  healthy,  and  it  will 
cost  more  to  keep  it  so. 

The  whole  promontory,  with  the  exception 
of  the  township,  which  has  been  cleared  of 
trees  and  scrub,  is  infested  with  the  sleeping- 
sickness  fly,  and  we  must  travel  further  inland 
to  gather  any  true  idea  of  Uganda  country. 

A  broad,  well-cultivated  road  has  been  made 
from  Entebbe  to  the  native  capital  of  Mengo ; 
and  the  journey  of  twenty  miles  may  be  done 
in  ricksha,  bullock  wagon  (if  you  have  a  day 
or  two  to  spare),  or  on  foot.  At  no  distant  date 
it  will  be  done  by  motor-car;  but  even  bullock 
wagons  are  in  advance  of  this  and  other  roads, 
which  are  only  kept  clean  by  repeated  cultiva- 


The  Civil  Capital  115 


tion.  This  means  that  one  length  may  have  a 
beautifully  smooth  surface  and  the  next  be  like 
a  ploughed  field. 

Streams  and  swamps  are  crossed  by  the  most 
primitive  bridges  which  last  but  a  very  short 
time,  and  soon  become  greater  hindrances  than 
helps  to  traffic  ;  and  it  is  no  uncommon  sight 
to  see  stranded  wagons,  or  the  traction  engine 
of  an  enterprising  firm,  waiting  for  help  to  be 
delivered  from  the  slough  that  makes  the  most 
optimistic  business  man  inclined  to  despond. 

This  condition  of  things  is  general  throughout 
the  Protectorate,  and  with  the  exception  of 
an  effort  to  utilise  the  present  native-made 
roads  for  the  purpose  of  growing  rubber-trees 
along  each  side,  and  to  build  culverts  on  the 
road  leading  north,  no  advance  has  been  made 
on  the  native  idea  of  providing  for  pedestrian 
and  vehicular  traffic.  A  month's  neglect  is 
sufficient  to  make  one  of  the  present  roads  in- 
visible, in  a  little  longer  it  is  impassable;  and 
not  much  more  time  would  be  necessary  to 
blot  out  every  trace  of  an  occupation  that 
counts  its  success  by  a  development  of  taxation. 

Let  us  not  quarrel,  however,  with  the  only 
kind  of  road  at  our  disposal,  but  use  it  to 
see  what  can  be  seen. 

Long  grass,  with  an  emphasis  on  the  long, 
banana  groves,  hill  and   dale,  are  the  pre- 


ii6   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

dominant  features  of  the  district  through 
which  we  are  passing  ;  and  these  features  are 
common  to  the  whole  kingdom  of  Uganda. 

The  hills  have  the  appearance  of  having 
been  sat  on  before  they  reached  their  proper 
height;  and  the  valleys  are  as  a  rule  noisome 
swamps. 

Travellers  marvel  at  the  wonderful  fertility 
of  the  country  and  at  the  extent  under  cultiva- 
tion. It  almost  appears  to  be  one  huge  garden 
chiefly  growing  bananas  and  plantains.  This 
is  as  it  should  be,  since  plantains  are  the  staple 
food  of  the  people ;  but  here  and  there  are 
evidences  that  the  land  is  able  to  produce 
more  than  plantains,  and  may  indeed  have  a 
future  interesting  and  important  to  the  work- 
ing men  of  England. 

Huge  tracts  are  under  cotton  cultivation,  to 
which  the  natives  have  taken  most  kindly. 
They  easily  understand  its  requirements,  and 
it  gives  a  quick  return.  It  has  been  found 
that  even  without  European  supervision  the 
Muganda  is  able  to  prepare  the  land,  sow  the 
seed,  and  bring  a  raw  material  to  market, 
which  will  compare  for  length  of  staple  and 
general  quality  with  any  in  the  world. 

So  keen  was  and  is  the  desire  to  grow  cotton 
that  for  a  time  there  seemed  as  if  there  might 
be  a  glut  upon  the  market,  owing  to  the  lack 


Cotton  Exports  117 


of  ginning  machinery;  but  this  difficulty  has 
been  quite  overcome  by  the  enterprise  of  two 
trading  companies  which  have  recently  erected 
machinery  in  the  native  capital  to  enable  them 
to  deal  with  any  quantity. 

In  1904  the  cotton  export  was  valued  at  a 
few  hundreds  of  pounds.  Last  year  its  value 
was  at  least  £50,000. 

The  soil,  rainfall,  and  general  climatic  condi- 
tions of  nearly  the  whole  of  Uganda  Protec- 
torate— which  stretches  from  Mount  Elgon  in 
the  east  to  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon  in  the 
west,  and  from  Gondokoro  on  the  Nile  in  the 
north,  to  the  German  East  African  frontier 
on  Lake  Victoria — seem  to  specially  fit  it  to 
become  one  of  the  best  cotton-producing  coun- 
tries in  the  world.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
labour  the  advantage  such  a  thing  will  be  to 
Lancashire. 

The  castor-oil  plant  is  in  evidence  everywhere, 
as  is  also  the  tobacco  plant,  but  neither  of  them 
have  yet  been  taken  in  hand  by  experts  with 
a  view  to  development  and  exportation.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  coffee,  which  can  be  seen 
growing  in  the  various  banana  gardens,  and 
growing  so  well  that  berries  from  an  untended 
plant  were  declared  very  fair  quality  on  the 
London  market. 

Ground  nuts  and  chillies  are  grown  in  great 


1 1 8    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

quantities,  but  chiefly  in  the  east  and  north-east 
parts  of  the  Protectorate. 

The  country  is  rich  in  fibres,  but  probably 
for  lack  of  patience  there  is  no  cultivation  or 
preparation  of  these,  for  which  from  £30  to 
£100  per  ton  might  be  procured  in  London. 

On  every  plantain  grove  there  may  be  seen 
the  tree  from  which  the  natives  strip  the  bark 
which,  when  beaten  with  their  hard-wood 
grooved  mallets,  dried  in  the  sun,  and  sewn 
together,  is  used  as  the  clothing  of  the  people. 

Here  and  there  we  get  a  glimpse  of  garden 
stuff  that  reminds  us  of  the  homeland,  and 
cannot  but  marvel  at  a  soil  and  climate  that 
does  so  well  for  cabbage  or  cactus,  tobacco,  or 
tomato. 

We  have  already  seen  the  rubber-trees  planted 
at  the  roadside,  but  there  are  also  trees  and 
vines  indigenous  to  the  country  ;  and  one 
syndicate,  the  Mabira  Forest  Company,  has 
secured  the  right  to  deal  with  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  the  Province  of  Kyagwe,  on  which  they 
estimate  there  are  2,000,000  Funtumia  elastica 
trees  from  which  they  expect  at  once  an  annual 
return  of  £137,000. 

I  understand  that  this  concession  was  made 
in  the  first  place  for  a  few  hundred  pounds. 

Other  companies  have  been  formed  for  the 
purpose   of  working  rubber  plantations,  and 


Dangerous  Animals  119 

one  or  two  private  settlers  are  at  work  putting 
in  trees  ;  but  they  will  have  to  wait  from  five  to 
ten  years,  according  to  the  kind  of  tree,  before 
they  can  expect  a  yield  of  latex. 

Uganda  is  not  very  rich  in  timber,  but  there 
are  three  or  four  very  good  kinds  available  for 
all  general  local  needs,  and  our  journey  takes  us 
through  the  exquisite  little  forests  from  which 
these  are  procured. 

Here  probably  for  the  first  time  we  come 
across  the  wild  animal  life  of  Uganda :  perhaps 
only  an  impertinent  little  rascal  of  a  monkey 
with  his  short  grey  coat,  brown  tail,  and  lively 
chatter,  but  not  unlikely  a  leopard,  lion,  or 
buffalo  may  be  met  with,  in  spite  of  the  large 
amount  of  cultivation  and  population. 

On  my  last  journey  to  Mengo,  the  native 
capital,  a  solitary  bull  buffalo  dashed  across 
my  path,  quite  near  to  a  native  village.  He 
had  been  driven  out  from  the  herd,  and  was 
consequently  a  very  dangerous  character — an 
animal  to  beware  of,  yet  much  sought  after  by 
sportsmen.  It  was  just  such  an  animal  that 
killed  an  able  and  promising  official  of  the 
Administration,  Dr.  Densham,  whom  I  knew 
well  in  Usoga,  and  whose  brother  is  well  known 
in  the  town  where  I  am  now  writing  this. 

It  seems  almost  incredible  that  the  king  of 
beasts  should  also  lurk  about  the  capital,  but 


I20  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

within  the  last  few  months  two  lions  were 
killed  without  a  day's  march,  and  I  append  the 
story  of  the  hunt  given  in  Uganda  Notes  by 
Ham  Mukasa,  who  wrote  that  quaint  book, 
"With  Uganda's  Katikiro  in  England." 

"  We  were  told  that  the  lions  had  roared  the 
last  night  from  Kasai  in  Bukerere,  Kajungujwe's 
place.  At  first  we  did  not  believe  that,  but  the 
next  morning  the  people  who  came  from  Bukoba 
told  us  that  they  had  seen  their  footmarks  on 
the  road  at  Kasai.  But  on  August  1st  they  (the 
lions)  walked  hard  a  good  journey,  and  reached 
Mukono  and  went  by  the  road  which  goes  from 
behind  my  fence  and  leads  to  the  market.  They 
reached  the  place  where  my  cows  live,  about  260 
yards  from  my  fence.  Then  they  found  the  cows 
in  the  house  by  themselves  ;  the  herdsmen  were 
not  there,  they  were  waiting  for  food  in  the 
fence  so  that  they  might  go  back  to  the  cows. 

"At  half -past  eleven  my  big  dog  Blanco  barked 
loudly,  so  I  understood  that  it  was  the  lions. 
We  were  at  table,  H.  Luganda  and  I,  and  I  told 
him  that  my  dog  was  raising  alarm  for  the  lions, 
for  they  had  come,  and  I  heard  a  voice  like  that 
of  a  door  which  is  knocked ;  but  when  the 
herdsmen  were  going  back  they  met  the  lions 
in  the  middle  of  the  road  eating  the  cow  which 
they  had  killed,  and  they  roared  very  loudly  to 


A  Lion  Hunt 


121 


make  the  herdsman  run,  but  he  did  not  run,  for 
he  had  a  little  boy  with  him,  and  the  lions  were 
two.  Then  that  herdsman  for  his  bravery  did 
not  run,  he  lifted  his  arm,  the  lions  ran  away 
from  the  cow  and  he  raised  the  alarm  and  we 
all  heard  him. 

"  Then  all  my  boys  went  at  a  great  rate  and 
found  the  cowman  standing  where  the  cow  was 
which  was  killed.  The  lions  had  eaten  all  the 
chest  and  entrails  and  lungs,  the  stomach  only 
was  left.  Then  the  boys  went  into  the  house  in 
which  the  cows  live  to  see  whether  they  were 
all  killed.  They  found  one  cow  hiding  at  the 
end  of  the  house  with  her  calf,  and  they  brought 
her  from  the  house  and  they  could  not  see  the 
others  and  we  thought  they  had  gone  mad  and 
we  would  see  them  the  next  day,  so  we  stopped 
(searching). 

"  But  when  I  came  out  of  the  house  I  went 
there  with  my  gun  and  two  boys  and  I  stood 
where  the  cow  was  which  was  killed  while  the 
boys  were  looking  for  the  others.  Then  H. 
Luganda  saw  me  and  said,  '  Sir,  do  not  stand  on 
the  cow  that  is  lying  in  the  road.'  In  that  time 
the  lions  were  with  me,  one  on  my  right  and  the 
other  on  my  left,  lying  on  the  sides  of  the  road 
in  the  jungle.  One  of  them  was  lying  eight 
yards  from  where  I  was  and  the  other  ten  yards. 
They  were  quiet  and  did  not  breathe  hard,  but 


122    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

my  big  dog  heard  them  and  started  twice  and 
looked  either  side.  It  was  very  dark  and  it  was 
going  to  rain.  Then  I  beat  my  two  drums  in 
the  way  of  war  drum  beat.  All  the  people  who 
live  near  came  and  I  took  them  to  see  that  they 
(the  lions)  had  killed  the  cow,  and  we  found 
them  eating  again.  When  they  (the  lions)  saw 
us  they  ran  away,  and  we  left  the  cow  which 
they  had  killed  in  order  that  they  might  eat  a 
good  deal  and  not  go  far  away  so  that  we  might 
hunt  them  the  next  morning.  Then  I  told  all 
the  people  that  when  they  would  hear  the  drum 
the  next  morning  they  should  be  ready  for 
hunting. 

"  When  the  morning  broke  the  drums  were 
beaten  and  all  the  people  did  what  I  told  them; 
they  came  before  me  and  said  they  would  do 
their  best  to  kill  the  lions.  I  sent  to  the  doctor 
at  Kyetume  to  ask  him  whether  he  would  go  for 
hunting.  Then  he  sent  Mukusu,  and  gave  him  a 
large  Masai  spear.  Then  Mukusu  brought  people 
from  the  Camp  at  Kyetume,  about  a  hundred 
men  or  more,  and  they  saw  the  lions  in  the 
little  wood  which  is  near  my  place.  Then  I 
stayed  in  the  market-place  and  Mr.  Baskerville 
found  me  there  when  he  came  to  congratulate 
me  about  what  had  happened  last  night ;  and 
he  was  sorry  he  could  not  go  with  us  to  hunt 
for  he  had  work  to  do  in  the  church,  for  it 


Quaint  Native  Description  123 

was  Sunday.  So  he  remained  to  take  prayers 
with  the  women  and  children,  on  that  day  all 
the  teachers  were  hunters.  Y.  Kaizi  and 
H.  Luganda  were  with  the  hunters,  and  the 
Sunday  service  was  held  by  Mr.  Baskerville, 
and  it  was  he  who  prayed  for  us  on  that  day. 

"  Now  when  I  was  sitting  in  the  market-place 
many  people  came  with  their  hunting  nets,  then 
I  appointed  Mukusu  to  dress  (distribute  ?)  the 
people  so  that  I  might  go  after  him.  While  I 
was  there  Captain  Gray  came  with  two  guns. 
Then  we  looked  for  them  (the  lions)  very  much 
and  we  could  not  see  them,  and  Dr.  Gray  was 
tired  and  went  home  at  1  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, for  there  were  many  pigs  in  the  forest 
and  we  could  not  tell  the  lions'  footmarks  from 
the  pigs'. 

"  When  I  saw  that  the  people  were  very  tired 
and  every  one  thought  in  his  own  way  and 
were  disputing  with  one  another  that  the 
lions  had  passed  (but  they  were  left  behind  us 
where  we  thought  that  they  were  not)  then  I 
sent  S.  Mulowoza  to  examine  well,  and  when 
he  came  back  he  told  me  that  they  were 
behind  in  the  little  wood.  Then  I  told  all  the 
people  to  go  home  for  the  darkness  was  drawing 
near,  at  half -past  five,  and  I  told  them  that  if 
we  could  not  kill  them  (the  lions),  the  next 
morning  we  would  take  out  food  with  us  and  go 


124  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

after  the  lions  to  Unga,  where  they  came  from. 
And  they  all  agreed  to  that  and  went  home. 

"  At  ten  o'clock  in  the  night  the  lions  came  out 
of  their  hiding-place  and  went  to  the  cow-house 
where  they  had  killed  the  cow  and  peeped  into 
it,  but  it  was  empty,  and  they  went  down  and 
passed  by  my  station  at  Nasuti.  When  they 
reached  the  little  wood  which  is  in  front  of  the 
station  they  went  in  there  and  stayed  there 
till  half-past  three  when  they  went  up  in  the 
circle  road  which  leads  to  Kauga  and  reached 
the  porters'  compound,  they  passed  quite  near 
the  porch,  four  yards  from  the  house  to  the  place 
where  they  passed.  And  they  went  down  into 
the  forest  Lyajah  and  across  the  river  to 
Kirowoza  and  they  reached  the  place  known 
as  '  Balimumperamukyalo '  in  the  Sekibobo's 
garden  where  there  is  a  little  wood  in  which 
they  made  their  den.  There  were  many  little 
animals,  about  ten  ;  perhaps  they  were  going  to 
eat  them. 

"I  sent  my  men  who  are  very  clever  in  track- 
ing animals,  and  I  appointed  my  headmen  whose 
name  is  N.  Siga  and  they  tracked  them  and  saw 
closely  the  place  where  they  had  left  some  of 
their  fur.  Then  one  of  my  men  whose  name  is 
I.  Kisajaki  came  back  and  told  us  all  that  they 
had  seen.  I  was  at  Kauga,  my  old  embuga,  and 
I  told  every  chief  with  his  people  to  promise 


Daring  Native  Hunters  125 

before  me  whether  they  had  determined  to  kill 
the  lions.  After  their  promises  I  asked  them  to 
discuss  how  we  should  hunt  the  lions,  for  they 
had  run  away  from  us  the  previous  day  because 
of  their  cunning.  Then  every  one  said  what  he 
thought  was  right,  while  I  was  silent  to  see  if 
they  were  all  right.  When  they  had  spoken  I 
picked  out  what  were  right  and  I  drew  them  a 
map  and  I  prepared  the  people  in  lines  so  that 
they  might  fight  well  against  the  lions.  Then  I 
stopped  every  one  to  advise  me  and  they  did 
what  I  told  them.  Then  I  appointed  Namutwe 
to  line  them  up.  But  the  chiefs  had  few  people, 
a  lot  of  them  came  afterwards  and  found  us 
hunting. 

"When  we  reached  the  place  where  the  lions 
were  I  prepared  the  people  in  their  places,  and 
during  that  time  Dr.  Rendle  of  Kampala 
arrived.  ^  Then  afterwards  we  planned  to  cut  off 
a  part  of  the  place  where  the  lions  were,  and  I 
sent  Siga  and  four  beaters  with  him  and  they 
went  and  cut  off  the  part  of  the  place  where  the 
lions  were.  But  when  they  had  walked  eighty 
yards  they  found  the  lions  sitting  under  a  tree, 
and  they  both  roared  and  the  men  attacked 
them,  and  the  lions  left  them,  one  went  on  the 
right,  and  the  other  went  on  the  left.  Then  the 
fighting  began,  the  elder  lion  came  direct  at  us 
without  turning  back,  and  we  all  aimed  at  him. 

7 


126   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

When  he  saw  us  he  seemed  as  if  he  was  told  not 
to  come  to  us,  then  he  went  half  right  and  fell 
into  the  net.  My  man  Kapere  speared  him  in 
the  chest  and  the  spear  went  in  one  foot  and  one 
inch.  When  he  rose  up  Sabagabo  fired  at  him 
and  Kopolo  ran  after  him.  When  he  turned  to 
fight  then  he  fired  at  him  in  the  shoulder  and 
he  fell  dead.  He  was  wounded  with  forty-six 
wounds  and  he  was  killed  at  a  quarter  to 
three. 

"  This  made  us  braver  and  happier,  this  was 
killed  about  twenty-five  yards  from  the  place 
where  I  was.  I  was  afraid  before,  then  I  took 
heart. 

"The  other  lion  went  up  to  Mukito's  side 
and  they  shouted  loudly  when  he  tried  to  fall 
on  to  the  net,  and  they  stopped  him  and  then 
he  returned  to  us.  He  was  afraid  to  come 
near  us  and  he  ran  about  twice  before  us  like 
a  dog.  In  that  time  you  could  not  think  that 
the  lion  was  as  big  as  a  heifer.  When  I  was 
going  to  aim  at  him  while  he  was  standing 
in  one  place  thinking  what  he  was  going  to  do, 
the  men  who  were  with  me  objected  saying  that 
if  I  left  my  place  the  lion  would  pass  there,  only 
I  should  choose  another  instead  of  me.  Then  I 
chose  Yoeri  for  he  knows  very  well  how  to 
shoot,  and  he  was  made  Corporal  when  he 
was  with  the  Police.    He  went  with  Mulondo 


A  Good  Shot  127 


to  shoot  the  lion  where  he  was  and  he  could 
not  see  it  at  first  because  of  the  shrubs,  but 
when  he  examined  well  he  aimed  at  him 
and  shot  him  in  the  chest  and  the  shot  went 
through  the  skin  on  the  other  side.  And  he  fell 
there  and  when  he  got  up  for  his  great  strength 
he  roared  in  a  low  tone  like  a  leopard.  And 
soon  he  rose  and  came  in  a  great  rage  and  fell 
into  the  net  and  fell  on  a  man  named  Kijoje  and 
bit  his  hand,  but  he  did  not  hurt  him  badly 
for  he  was  no  longer  strong  because  of  the 
wound.  When  the  lion  was  running  Namutwe 
shot  him  and  he  fell  and  was  speared  with 
eighty-four  spears  by  the  people.  He  was 
killed  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and 
fell  on  my  left  hand  about  thirty-five  yards 
from  the  place  where  I  was.  And  they  told 
us  that  there  was  a  third  lion,  and  we  went  back 
to  the  place  where  the  lions  were,  but  there  was 
no  other,  they  had  heard  the  thunder ! 

"  We  also  killed  nine  small  animals  and  a  big 
snake  in  one  place. 

"Ham  Mukasa,  Sekibobo." 

Not  a  bad  article  surely  from  a  native  pen  ! 

The  traveller  need  not  anticipate  much  danger 
or  inconvenience  from  wild  animals,  for  as  a 
rule  they  seem  quite  as  anxious  to  get  away 
from  a  human  being  as  he  does  to  keep  clear  of 


128   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

them.  His  real  danger  is  from  the  multitudinous 
insect  pests  that  infest  the  countries  west  of  the 
Mau  Escarpment  and  make  them  utterly  impos- 
sible for  white  colonisation. 

Chief  among  the  pests  is  the  mosquito,  which 
is  responsible  for  more  sickness  and  deaths  than 
anything  else.  Far  too  long,  for  lack  of  scien- 
tific knowledge,  it  has  been  accepted  and  treated 
as  nothing  more  than  an  inconvenience,  but 
now  men  are  well  aware  that  the  species  of 
mosquito  known  as  the  Culex  anopheles  is  the 
medium  by  which  the  minute  animalcule  named 
Malaria  is  transmitted  from  the  blood  of  one 
person  to  another. 

There  is  no  need  to  expatiate  on  the  symptoms 
of  malaria — the  less  travellers  know  about  it  ex- 
perimentally, the  better  ;  and  the  only  way  to 
keep  clear  of  it  is  to  keep  clear  of  mosquitoes. 
Do  not  sit  out  on  an  unprotected  verandah  after 
sundown,  and  do  not  sleep  without  a  net. 

Of  course  I  mean  that  the  net  should  be  let 
down  each  evening ;  it  should  have  a  small 
mesh,  and  it  should  not  be  torn.  Such  advice 
is  not  superfluous ;  for  I  well  remember  sharing 
the  room  of  a  friend,  and  in  the  dead  of  night 
being  nearly  frightened  to  death  by  a  series  of 
terrible  howls  close  to  my  ear.  I  was  confident 
that  a  leopard  had  got  in  and  collared  my  friend, 
until  I  heard  him  calmly  assure  me  that  it  was 


Use  and  Misuse  of  Mosquito  Nets  129 

only  his  dog  had  put  its  head  through  a  hole 
in  the  mosquito  net,  and  could  not  withdraw  it. 

That  was  evidently  the  chronic  condition  of 
that  mosquito  net,  for  on  another  occasion  I 
heard  him  recounting  to  a  new-comer  an  ex- 
perience he  had  with  a  large  bat.  It  wakened 
him,  and  when  he  sat  up  it  was  hanging  to 
the  inside  of  his  net.  His  disgust  seemed  un- 
bounded when  the  new-comer  suggested  that 
the  mesh  of  the  net  must  be  rather  a  large 
one. 

Another  real  danger  meets  the  traveller 
as  he  passes  through  Uganda,  and  meets  him 
where  he  least  expects  it,  viz,,  in  the  sheds  that 
have  been  most  thoughtfully  erected  in  the 
various  wayside  camps  as  shelters  from  the  sun's 
rays  in  the  heat  of  the  day.  These  rest-houses 
were  undoubtedly  a  great  boon  to  the  traveller ; 
it  was  perfect  luxury  to  find  the  shelters  ready 
in  storm  or  heat ;  and  they  became  so  popular 
that  some  Europeans  ceased  even  to  carry  a 
tent,  and  used  the  rest-house  by  night  as 
well  as  during  the  day,  until  it  was  proved 
that  the  common  occurrence  of  Spirillum,  or 
relapsing  fever,  amongst  Europeans — a  fever 
seldom  fatal  but  exceedingly  trying  because 
of  its  frequent  recurrence  and  high  tempera- 
ture— was  due  to  the  bite  of  a  tick  which  was 
found  to  infest  these  shelters. 


130   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

These  same  camps  are  overrun  by  another 
scourge — the  jigger ;  that  nasty  little  insect 
which  burrows  under  the  toe-nail,  forms  a  sac, 
lays  its  eggs,  and  causes  a  good  deal  of  pain  and 
inconvenience  to  the  individual. 

Like  sleeping  sickness,  this  pest  has  travelled 
from  West  Africa  ;  but  let  us  hope  that  sleeping 
sickness  will  not  make  such  rapid  progress  on 
its  journey.  Thirteen  years  ago  the  jigger  was 
six  hundred  miles  from  the  East  Coast  of 
Africa ;  to-day  it  is  working  havoc  in  India. 

Ants — myriads  of  them  meet  one  at  every  turn  : 
white  ants,  black  ants,  red  ants.  Rats,  big  and 
little ;  mice  of  various  sorts ;  flies  that  seem  to 
be  made  in  all  sorts  and  sizes ;  bees,  wasps,  and 
hornets  innumerable,  and  all  warranted  to  sting 
without  provocation  ;  spiders,  that  strike  terror 
to  your  very  soul,  seek  close  acquaintance ; 
whilst  lice  are  larger  in  Uganda  than  perhaps 
anywhere  else ;  and  the  fleas  are  renowned  for 
their  ability  to  jump  and  power  to  make  their 
presence  known. 

Snakes  are  uncomfortably  common  ;  we  have 
seen  them  drop  from  the  ceiling  and  peer  from 
the  walls  of  our  mud  house,  yet  I  have  never 
known  a  European  attacked  by  one. 

The  croaking  of  frogs,  and  the  "  cheep,  cheep  " 
of  countless  beetles  and  other  insects  give  warn- 
ing of  the  closing  day  when  bats  and  owls  and 


Dangers  of  the  Tropics  131 

wheel  birds  come  forth  to  assist  the  mosquitoes 
keep  the  night-watches. 

To  many,  the  insect  life  is  more  trying  than 
the  climate  ;  and  both  together  make  it  impera- 
tive for  the  white  man  to  seek  a  change  after 
very  few  years'  service. 

The  atmosphere  may  seem  all  that  is  desirable, 
but  imperceptibly  one  loses  energy,  becomes 
"nervy,"  and  susceptible  to  any  disease  going. 
It  is  well,  therefore,  to  take  plenty  of  exercise, 
keep  the  head,  eyes,  and  body  well  protected  from 
the  sun,  understand,  as  far  as  possible,  tropical 
diseases,  causes  and  cures,  and  so  keep  clear  of 
insect  life  which  may  be  responsible  for  some 
other  diseases  not  yet  understood. 

One  such  disease  is  that  known  as  Hsemoglo- 
binuric,  or  blackwater,  fever,  which  has  recently 
been  rather  common  with  a  high  percentage  of 
fatal  results  among  Europeans. 

The  real  cause  of  this  fever  is  not  known ;  but 
it  has  been  suggested  that  frequent  attacks  of 
malarial  fever  predispose  the  patient  to  black- 
water  fever.  Another  suggestion  is  that  the 
constant  use  of  quinine  is  responsible  for  the 
breaking  down  of  certain  blood-vessels  in  the 
kidneys. 

Against  these  are  the  statements  of  reliable 
men  who  declare  that  they  have  never  had 
malaria  but  have  had  attacks  of  blackwater ; 


132   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

and  for  the  second  suggestion,  that  only  by  the 
constant  hypodermic  injections  of  large  doses  of 
quinine  was  the  temperature  lowered  and  the 
blackwater  stopped. 

Although  no  positive  cure  has  been  declared, 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  out  of  thirteen 
cases.  Dr.  A.  R.  Cook,  of  the  C.M.S.  Hospital, 
Uganda,  lost  only  one,  and  that  one  hope- 
less from  the  beginning  because  of  compli- 
cations. His  brother,  Dr.  J.  H.  Cook,  has  been 
equally  successful,  and  their  medicine  and 
method  of  treatment  have  been  supplied  to 
every  mission  station,  Anglican  and  Roman 
Catholic,  throughout  the  Protectorate. 


THE  KING  OF  UGANDA'S  OFFICIAL  DRUMMER. 


CHAPTER  VII 


UGANDA:    ITS  PAST  CONDITION 


The  amazement  of  travellers — Stanley's  expectations — Con- 
centrated cruelty — Mtesa's  smiling  welcome — The  people 
of  Uganda — System  of  government — Social  life — The 
Bahuma — Native  wine — The  other  side  of  the  picture — 
Mtesa,  the  causer  of  tears — Mwanga,  a  cruel  son  of  an  evil 
father — Alexander  Mackay — "  The  dark  places  of  the 
earth  " — Efifect  of  missionary  effort — Expulsion  of  mission- 
aries— Murder  of  Bishop  Hannington — Growth  of 
Mohammedanism — Influence  of  native  Christians — 
Kebellion,  capture  and  death  of  King  Mwanga — King 
David — Light  and  liberty. 

Ill  POM  the  days  of  Speke  and  Grant  to  the 


present    moment,    every    traveller  who 
enters  Uganda  is  amazed. 

To  reach  it  he  has  travelled  through  other 
countries  and  seen  many  peoples,  but  none  just 
like  these.  From  the  coast  to  the  Lake  it  was 
more  or  less  chaotic,  untutored  savagery  ;  but 
now  he  is  face  to  face  with  a  highly  developed 
system  of  feudal  government  as  an  oasis  in  the 


135 


136  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

desert.  This  struck  Stanley  on  his  first  visit, 
and  he  never  ceased  to  vs^onder  and  express  his 
high  hopes  and  expectations  of  such  a  country 
and  people  ;  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say 
that  could  he  have  had  his  great  desire  to  revisit 
Uganda,  he  would  have  realised  how  much  his 
hopes  and  expectations  were  fulfilled. 

Little,  however,  did  the  Christian  world  realise 
in  the  year  1875,  when  Stanley  sent  his  memor- 
able challenge,  that  behind  the  smiling  welcome 
of  King  Mtesa  there  lay  a  concentration  of  cruel 
savagery  unknown  to  the  barbarian  peoples  so 
utterly  despised  by  the  Baganda. 

The  picture  presented  was  that  of  an  en- 
lightened King  whose  very  name  meant  "the 
arranger  of  affairs,"  presiding  over  a  well- 
ordered  and  industrious  population  of  Negroids, 
a  people  neither  wholly  negro  nor  wholly 
Hamitic,  but  an  admixture  of  the  two. 

The  whole  country  was  divided  into  provinces, 
and  at  the  head  of  each  province  a  chief 
appointed  by,  and  directly  answerable  to,  the 
King.  These  chiefs  formed  the  Council  of  the 
country,  and  were  presided  over  by  the  King. 

The  provinces  were  subdivided,  and  held  in 
such  a  way  that  every  piece  of  land  and  every 
soul  could  be  accounted  for.  No  one  was  inde- 
pendent, for  each  was  owned  by  some  one  else 
who  had  powers  of  life  and  death. 


Marvellous  Organisation  137 

The  marvellous  completeness  of  an  organisa- 
tion that  could,  at  the  sound  of  the  King's  war 
drum,  transform  the  whole  adult  male  popula- 
tion into  an  army  ready  to  march  whithersoever 
his  Majesty  commanded,  was  no  more  wonder- 
ful than  the  ordinary  sights  and  sounds  of  this 
country  as  seen  by  the  early  travellers  and 
missionaries. 

They  saw  an  alert  and  intelligent  people 
of  a  colour  ranging  from  light  brown  to 
jet  black  ;  with  good  physique  and  gene- 
rally well-proportioned  bodies,  except  in  the 
case  of  some  women  whose  enormous  hips 
and  breasts  were  supposed  to  be  signs  of 
beauty. 

There  were  no  signs  of  mutilation  for  the 
purpose  of  adornment,  such  as  is  common 
among  the  surrounding  tribes  with  their  filed 
and  missing  teeth,  elongated  ear-lobes,  per- 
forated lips,  tongues,  and  noses,  and  cicatrisa- 
tion of  the  body. 

With  the  exception  of  the  little  girls,  who 
wore  a  plaited  waistband  of  coloured  grasses, 
the  whole  population  was  clothed  with  graceful 
and  becoming  garments  made  from  the  bark  of 
a  wild  fig-tree.  The  work  of  stripping  the  bark, 
beating  it  with  grooved  mallets  of  hard-wood, 
drying  it  in  the  sun  and  then  sewing  the  pieces 
together,  was  that  of  the  men,  who,  because  of 


138    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

this  labour,  have  quite  naturally  taken  the 
position  of  the  nation's  dressmakers. 

The  men  were  also  responsible  for  the  fighting 
and  house-building,  whilst  the  woman  saw  to  it 
that  the  food  supply  was  never  short.  The  wife 
was  the  gardener  of  the  family,  and  right  well 
she  did  her  work,  skilfully  tending  the  plantain 
grove  which  surrounded  her  little  hut  made  of 
poles  and  thatch,  and  also  cultivating  the  sweet 
potato,  Indian  corn  or  maize,  peas,  beans,  and 
other  vegetables  necessary  to  make  a  change 
of  diet. 

With  great  care  and  cleanliness  the  green 
but  ripe  plantains  were  peeled,  tied  in  leaves 
and  boiled  in  the  earthenware  pot,  then  turned 
out  and  mashed — squeezed  would  be  a  better 
word — into  a  hot  mass  of  pulp,  which  was  served 
on  fresh,  clean  leaves  strewn  on  the  ground. 

No  woman  sat  and  ate  with  her  lord  and 
master,  but  received  his  commendation  if  the 
mass  was  good,  and  any  pieces  he  might  pass 
to  her  as  she  stood  behind  him.  His  feast 
was  for  himself  and  any  male  guests  he  chose 
to  invite,  and  the  women  fed  together  with 
their  children. 

Politeness  was  noticeable  as  a  marked  trait 
of  the  Baganda  character,  and  little  courtesies 
between  a  man  and  his  wife  or  wives  were  never 
neglected.    The  ladies  turned  out  to  meet  and 


Native  Politeness  139 


welcome  their  lord  returning  from  some  raid 
in  Usoga,  Unyoro,  or  Toro  ;  and  from  the  con- 
gratulations heaped  upon  him  it  might  have 
been  supposed  that  he,  and  he  alone,  had  won 
the  battle. 

"  Webale  !  webale  nyo  ge  !  kulika  musaja 
wange  ! "  ("  Well  done,  very  well  done  you  ! 
bravo,  my  man  ! ")  resounded  on  every  side ;  to 
which  the  gentleman  replied  "  A  wo  ! "  ("  Thank 
you!"). 

The  man  on  his  side  never  forgot  to  con- 
gratulate his  wife  on  her  cultivation  and 
cooking;  and  these  courtesies  played  an  impor- 
tant part  in  the  native  life. 

Some  of  the  houses  seen  were  of  the  most 
primitive  character,  resembling  nothing  so 
much  as  a  haycock ;  but  others,  though  of  a 
curious  shape  to  the  eyes  of  a  European,  were 
always  of  great  interest  because  of  the  beautiful 
way  in  which  they  had  been  thatched — a  branch 
of  work  for  which  the  Baganda  have  always 
been  rightly  famed. 

Fowls,  goats,  sheep,  and  cattle  seemed  plenti- 
ful ;  and  for  the  safe  keeping  of  the  first  three  the 
children  were  held  responsible — not  the  progeny 
of  the  householders,  for  the  Baganda,  supposing 
it  impossible  to  exact  obedience  from  their  own 
offspring,  send  them  to  be  brought  up  by  friends 
or  relatives,  whilst  they  make  themselves  re- 


140   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

sponsible  for  the  children  of  others  and  really 
bring  them  up  very  well. 

The  cattle  were  herded  by  a  tribe  of  Hamitics, 
called  Bahuma,  who  were  practically  slaves  to 
the  Baganda  though  related  to  the  rulers  and 
aristocracy  of  the  neighbouring  countries 
Unyoro  and  Ankole. 

Apparently  the  people  had  all  that  heart 
could  desire,  and  more  than  was  good  for 
them,  for  vast  quantities  of  bananas  were 
used  to  provide,  not  only  the  "Mubisi,"  or  un- 
fermented  sweet  wine  of  the  country,  but  also 
the  intoxicant  known  as  "Mwenge,"  made  by 
adding  millet  seed  to  the  "  Mubisi." 

To  outward  seeming,  then,  the  picture  was 
one  of  happy  contentment.  That  slavery  was 
customary,  and  that  women  were  looked  upon 
as  inferior  beings,  was  well  known  ;  but  it  was 
inconceivable  that  the  picture  had  another  side 
almost  too  revolting  to  imagine  or  describe. 

Mtesa  and  his  chiefs  were  guilty  of  the  most 
demoniacal  practices,  which  account  for  the  fact 
that  the  name  by  which  he  is  known  throughout 
the  country  to-day  is  not  *'  Mtesa,"  the  arranger 
of  affairs,  but  "  Mukabya,"  the  causer  of  tears — 
a  very  appropriate  name  for  the  man  who 
sold  justice  (!)  to  the  highest  bidder,  brought 
cruelty  to  a  fine  art  in  the  maiming  of  his 
victims,   and    wantonly   murdered    people  to 


"Habitations  of  Cruelty"  141 

appease  a  passing  whim  or  the  spirits  of  his 
ancestors. 

Never  was  the  scripture,  "the  dark  places 
of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of 
cruelty,"  so  fearfully  illustrated  as  in  the 
history  of  Uganda,  and  that  within  com- 
paratively recent  years,  although  we  speak  of 
them  as  the  bad  old  days. 

Succeeded  by  his  son  Mwanga,  the  natives 
and  the  missionaries  hoped  for  better  things, 
but  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  Weak, 
cowardly,  and  vacillating,  the  son  proved  him- 
self all  too  worthy  a  successor  to  his  cruel 
father,  and  the  burden  of  the  people  became 
almost  more  than  they  could  bear. 

For  some  years  I  was  in  daily  contact  with 
a  man  who  had  been  Mwanga's  playfellow,  and 
bore  the  marks  of  such  dangerous  intimacy.  He 
had  been  entrusted  to  collect  the  King's  revenue 
in  the  Province  of  Kyagwe,  and  on  his  return  a 
discrepancy  was  discovered  between  his  state- 
ment and  that  of  the  district  chief.  Certain 
sheep  and  goats  could  only  be  accounted  for 
on  the  supposition  that  the  King's  messengers 
had  had  a  right  royal  time  on  the  homeward 
journey.  Undoubtedly  a  dereliction  of  duty, 
but  hardly  sufficient  to  warrant  the  cutting 
off  both  ears  of  the  chief  messenger  with  a 
sharpened  reed. 


142   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

One  of  my  best  native  teachers  was  a  man 
named  Erisa,  or  Elisha — a  big,  fine  man,  who 
remembered  Alexander  Mackay,  that  splendid 
missionary,  who  did  so  much  in  his  own  quiet, 
plodding  way  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
Church's  successful  work  in  Uganda.  He  re- 
membered Mackay  building  the  first  brick 
house  with  panelled  doors  which  were  the 
wonder  of  all  ;  but  when  I  asked  him  to 
examine  the  house  I  was  then  building,  it 
was  most  pathetic  to  see  him  feel  his  way 
over  it.  He  was  blind  ;  his  eyes  had  been 
gouged  out  and  an  ear  cut  off  at  the  bidding 
of  Mwanga,  because  the  King's  drink,  for 
which  Erisa — then  an  unbaptized  youth — was 
responsible,  was  not  ready  to  hand  when  his 
Majesty  called  for  it. 

Both  these  cases  constantly  before  me,  and 
another  which  may  still  be  seen,  made  me 
thank  God  that  the  time  had  arrived  when 
such  barbarities  were  impossible. 

The  third  case  was  that  of  a  woman  whom 
I  saw  trying  to  hoe  some  sweet  potatoes. 
There  were  others  assisting,  who  willingly 
threw  down  their  hoes  to  see  and  touch  the 
white  man.  This  particular  woman  stood  back 
from  the  rest,  until  I  intimated  my  desire  to 
speak  with  all,  when  she  drew  near  and  shocked 
me  by  the  awful  sight  of  a  woman  indeed,  but 


Days  of  Persecution  143 

one  without  hands  or  lips.  These  had  been 
cut  off  by  her  owner  for  some  trivial  offence, 
and  there  she  was,  pitiful  to  behold,  as, 
ashamed  of  her  condition,  she  endeavoured 
to  do  a  woman's  work. 

May  I  once  more  say  the  dark  places  of  the 
earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty"? 
And  such  cruelty  that,  in  comparison,  the  above 
cases  are  as  nothing. 

The  missionary  toil  of  early  days  was  be- 
ginning to  take  effect,  and  the  King,  realising 
that  the  minds  and  lives  of  his  immediate 
followers  were  being  influenced  by  the  Scrip- 
tures and  the  teaching  of  the  missionaries, 
issued  an  edict  to  the  effect  that  all  reading 
must  cease  under  penalty  of  death ;  and  then 
began  the  trial  of  strength  between  light  and 
darkness,  right  and  wrong,  cruel  oppression 
and  progressive  liberty,  which  lasted  as  long 
as  Mwanga  was  on  the  throne. 

The  old  tortures  and  mutilations  became  more 
numerous,  and  to  these  were  added  the  brutal 
murder  of  those  who  continued  to  read  the 
Gospel  in  spite  of  the  King's  edict. 

Of  course,  many  fled  the  country  and  took 
their  faith  and  teaching  to  the  people  of  Ankole 
in  the  west ;  but  others  remained  and  sealed 
their  faith  with  their  blood. 

The  missionaries  were  made  prisoners,  thrown 
8 


144   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

into  a  small  thatched  hut,  left  without  other 
food  than  the  few  bananas  given  to  them  by- 
kindly  passers-by,  and  finally  taken  down  to 
the  Lake  and  sent  adrift  in  native  canoes,  after 
Walker  had  been  stripped  of  his  clothing. 

I  often  wondered  afterwards,  when  visiting 
King  Mwanga  along  with  one  of  these  victims, 
now  Archdeacon  Walker,  just  what  was  passing 
in  each  man's  mind.  Mwanga  certainly  never 
seemed  comfortable  ;  and  how  could  he,  re- 
membering not  only  his  treatment  of  Gordon 
and  Walker,  but  also  his  murder  of  Bishop 
Hannington  ? 

With  the  expulsion  of  the  missionaries,  he 
seemed  quite  certain  of  the  death  of  Christianity 
and  the  growth  of  Mohammedanism,  or  at  any 
rate  such  crude  and  cruel  features  of  Mohamme- 
danism as  appealed  to  him.  Yet,  strange  to  say, 
he  had  to  depend  upon  the  very  lads  and  young 
men  whom  he  had  threatened  with  death  and 
driven  into  exile  to  fight  his  battles  and  protect 
his  throne  and  person  from  the  Mohammedans 
who  made  periodic  bids  for  the  capture  of  the 
country. 

For  four  years  I  lived  in  and  near  the  capital 
of  Mwanga ;  was  constantly  in  touch  with 
him,  and  know  something  of  the  influence 
which  the  same  lads — grown  up  as  men,  and, 
because  of  their  reliability  and  integrity,  made 


A  Sad  Ending  145 


chiefs  in  the  country — had  over  the  life  of  the 
King. 

He  writhed  under  it,  yet  realised  that  for  the 
stability  of  the  country  it  was  necessary ;  but 
eventually  their  determination  to  go  a  step 
further  than  the  freedom  of  slaves  and  the 
extinction  of  cruelties  was  too  much  for  his 
personal  lusts,  since  they  compelled  him  to 
expel  from  his  presence  the  base  characters  who 
encouraged  him  in  drink,  treachery,  and  name- 
less vice.  He  rebelled  against  them  and  British 
influence,  and  the  sequel  was  a  lonely  death  on 
one  of  the  Seychelle  Islands. 

So  ended  the  conflict  between  light  and  dark- 
ness. The  last  representative  of  Uganda's 
pagan  kings  was  buried  in  a  far-off  land,  with- 
out the  extravagant  "Kitibwa"  (honour)  so 
dear  to  the  heart  of  a  Muganda. 

No  interminable  procession  with  costly  cloths 
to  throw  into  the  grave.  No  massacre  of  near 
relatives.  No  building  of  a  national  mauso- 
leum on  the  site  of  the  house  in  which  the  King 
had  lived.  No  moving  of  the  native  capital 
to  a  place  chosen  by  the  new  King.  No  pro- 
cessions such  as  he  rejoiced  to  have,  when  the 
opportunity  was  taken  by  the  new  King,  not 
only  to  view  his  predecessor's  tomb  and  relics, 
but  also  to  sacrifice  a  number  of  his  followers. 

How  vividly  I  have  heard  men  who  accom- 


146    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


panied  Mwanga  on  one  of  the  visits  he  paid  to 
his  father's  tomb  at  Kasubi,  describe  with 
what  pleasure  he  gave  an  order  to  his  gun- 
bearers  to  follow  him,  carrying  their  loaded 
guns  over  the  shoulder,  and  at  his  word  pull 
the  trigger  and  allow  the  charge  to  plough  its 
way  through  the  mass  of  humanity  in  the  rear ! 

All  this  has  gone,  and  not  only  because  of 
the  passing  of  Mwanga  and  his  like,  but 
because  the  Baganda  as  a  nation  have  changed 
their  point  of  vision.  The  "  Lubare,"  or  devil- 
worship,  responsible  for  gross  superstitions 
and  much  suffering,  is  now  scarcely  known  in 
the  kingdom. 

"  Le  roi  est  mort,  vive  le  roi !  "  ("  The  King  is 
dead,  long  live  the  King ! ")  And  for  once  the 
people  really  meant  what  they  cried  :  for  their 
*'  Kabaka,"  or  King,  although  only  an  infant  a 
few  months  old,  had  been  baptized  Daudi 
(David),  and  was  to  be  brought  up  a  Christian. 

Long  ago  the  directors  of  the  Imperial  British 
East  Africa  Company  presented  King  Mwanga 
with  a  chair  which  served  as  a  throne,  and 
took  the  place  of  the  one  made  by  the  native 
carpenter.  The  latter  chair,  with  that  of  his 
father  Mtesa,  King  Mwanga  gave  me  just  before 
he  rebelled  against  the  British  Administration, 
and  they  are  both  now  used  in  the  study  of 
the  Bishop  of  Uganda. 


H.H.  KING  DAUDI  (DAVID)  CHWA  (+)• 


Light  and  Liberty  149 


To  those  who  really  knew  Mwanga,  nothing 
was  more  incongruous  than  to  see  him  on  his 
new  throne,  for  just  above  his  head  was  the 
carved  motto,  "  Light  and  Liberty."  The  donors 
undoubtedly  had  their  vision  of  things  which 
to-day  are  being  fulfilled,  and  the  evidences  of 
great  advancement  are  thrust  upon  us  as  we 
make  our  way  to  the  native  capital  of  the 
present  King,  Daudi  Chwa. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


UGANDA:  ITS  PRESENT  ADMINIS- 
TRATION 


No  Uganda  Eailway — Porterage  system — No  relief  for  British 
taxpayer — Sir  H.  H.  Johnston — Provincial  chiefs — Pax 
Britannica — One  Governor  suggested  for  East  Africa  and 
Uganda — Tropical  diseases — Native  development  or  revenue 
— King  David  at  home — Native  parliament — Regents — Sir 
Apolo  Kagwa,  K.C.M.G. — Native  capabilities  and  possi- 
bilities— Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Labour  problem — Road- 
making — Waste  of  labour — Transport  facilities — Need  for 
technical  education — Military  service — Strategic  position 
of  Uganda — The  Right  Hon.  Winston  Churchill  and  the 
Baganda. 

/^N  nearing  Mengo,  we  are  surprised  at  the 


V-/  numberless  porters  leaving  the  capital  for 
outlying  stations,  with  loads  of  every  descrip- 
tion. We  soon  realise,  however,  that  "  Uganda 
Railway "  is  a  misnomer ;  there  is  no  railway 
in  the  country,  and  porterage  is  almost  the  only 
method  of  transport.  I  advisedly  say  "  almost," 
because   one    or    two    private   traders  have 


150 


Reorganised  Administration  151 

recently  introduced  the  bullock  wagon  with 
results  far  from  satisfactory  to  either  wagons 
or  bullocks. 

A  closer  acquaintance  with  the  present 
system  of  government  convinces  us  that  the 
porterage  system  is  only  one  indication  that 
Uganda  cannot  be  said  to  have  advanced  under 
British  Administration — advanced,  I  mean,  in 
such  a  way  as  to  relieve  the  pockets  of  the 
British  taxpayer,  and,  at  the  same  time,  so  as 
to  develop  native  character  and  self-support. 

We  have  seen  that  in  the  days  of  King  Mtesa 
the  country  was  organised  on  feudal  lines,  by 
which  the  heads  of  provinces  had  power  to 
try,  fine,  and,  under  certain  limitations,  kill. 

This  form  of  government  was  slightly  altered 
by  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  when  British  Commis- 
sioner ;  and  it  cannot  be  claimed  that  the  recent 
order  whereby  the  Provincial,  or  Saza,  chiefs  are 
allowed  to  hold  Courts  and  try  cases  is  a 
development.  It  simply  gives  back  an  authority 
and  standing  which  was  taken  away  from  them 
when,  under  the  British  Administration,  they 
were  turned  into  hut-tax  collectors,  for  which 
they  received  the  salary  of  £200  per  annum. 

This  latter  arrangement  turned  the  revenue 
into  the  official  coffers  for  the  payment  of 
salaries  European  and  native  ;  and  the  Muganda 
who  forgets   the  real  benefits    of    the  Pax 


152   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


Britannica  (my  typist  wrote  Tax  Britannica,  a 
mistake  almost  too  good  to  correct),  and  com- 
plains that  the  white  man  is  eating  up  the 
country,  is  told  how  much  more  English  money 
is  spent  on  administration  than  is  received  from 
native  sources.  Perhaps,  like  myself,  he  realises 
the  lavish  generosity  of  England,  but  thinks 
that  it  is  too  lavish  in  the  wrong  direction ;  and 
believes  that  the  small  kingdoms  of  Uganda, 
Unyoro,  Toro,  and  Ankole  could  be  more  easily, 
beneficially,  and  cheaply  administered  by  an 
English  Adviser  to  the  native  kings  ;  a  Govern- 
ment land  officer,  a  commercial  agent,  an 
English  Accountant  with  various  native  clerks, 
all  directly  responsible  to  one  Governor  of 
British  East  Africa  and  Uganda,  than  by  the 
building  up  of  an  intricate  Whitehall  system  of 
bigger  and  lesser  fleas  who  must  be  supported, 
development  or  no  development. 

We  must  not  forget  that  Uganda  is  not,  and 
probably  never  can  become,  a  white  man's 
country ;  neither  can  the  Asiatic  hope  to  make 
it  his  home.  The  climate  may  be  temporarily 
possible  for  both,  but  in  spite  of  the  statement 
of  such  an  authority  as  Sir  Patrick  Manson, 
K.C.M.G.,  &c.,  that  tropical  diseases  are  not 
climatic,  one  may  be  allowed  to  say  that  without 
a  tropical  climate  the  intermediaries  which 
transmit  the  germ-causes  of  tropical  diseases 


No  White  Man's  Land  153 


could  not  exist.  They  do  exist,  and  indeed  thrive 
under  the  conditions  found  in  Uganda,  and  until 
those  conditions  are  altered,  as,  for  instance,  the 
doing  away  with  plantain-trees — a  thing  not  to 
be  dreamt  of — we  shall  have  mosquitoes,  and 
if  mosquitoes,  malaria  and  all  that  malaria 
means  to  the  white  and  Asiatic. 

Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  naturally  think  that 
development  and  not  revenue  should  have  been 
the  watchword  from  the  beginning — develop- 
ment of  native  resources  for  and  by  the  native 
under  European  supervision.  I  am  well  aware 
that  such  a  suggestion  is  pooh-poohed  by  many  ; 
first  because  they  think  it  wrong,  and  second 
because  they  think  it  impossible. 

A  glance  round  the  capital  of  Uganda  will 
convince  all  who  hold  such  opinions  of  their 
mistake,  for  on  every  hand  are  evidences  that 
rapid  strides  have  been  taken  to  bridge  the 
gulf  between  primitive  barbarism  and  Western 
civilisation. 

Large,  well-built,  and  in  some  instances 
beautiful  houses  top  the  plantain  groves ;  keen 
and  varied  business  is  carried  on  in  the  markets 
under  the  direction  of  a  native  superintendent. 
Here  a  butchery  department,  there  a  grocery 
store,  hardware  of  every  description,  tailors  busy 
at  work  with  hand  and  machine  making  cloth- 
ing for  men  and  women,  carpenters  turning  out 


154   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

chairs  and  tables  that  would  do  credit  to  any- 
British  workman,  all  bespeak  advance  in  the 
social  life  of  the  people,  through  crowds  of 
whom,  well  dressed  and  orderly,  we  make  our 
way  to  the  hill  from  which  the  capital  takes  its 
name. 

Here  we  meet  the  little  King  David,  a  boy  of 
eleven  years,  who  succeeded  Mwanga,  and  al- 
though the  "  Lubiri,"  or  reed-fenced  enclosure  of 
the  King,  has  much  the  same  appearance  as  in 
the  old  days,  yet  the  moment  we  have  been 
announced  by  the  King's  ofQcial  drummer  and 
passed  through  the  various  courtyards  into  the 
inner  court,  we  perceive  the  great  change 
which  has  taken  place. 

A  snug-looking,  brick-built  bungalow  has 
taken  the  place  of  the  reed  and  grass  mon- 
strosity inhabited  by  Mwanga ;  and  the  visitor 
is  ushered  into  a  scrupulously  clean  sitting-room, 
very  simply  furnished  after  the  European  style. 
There  is  no  longer  the  sight  of  dirty,  wicked- 
looking  loungers,  popping  up  from  every  corner 
like  vermin  from  their  holes ;  or  the  continual 
sound  of  lewd  and  ribald  songs,  discomforting 
the  visitor  but  giving  pleasure  to  the  King, 
who  was  quite  capable  of  delaying  his  presence 
in  order  to  impress  the  European.  The  shy, 
pleasant-faced  lad  who  now  bids  us  welcome 
has  been  trained  in  a  different  school  and  is 
doing  credit  to  his  teachers. 


KING  DAVID  LEARXIXG  THE  MYSTERIES  OF  A  KODAK. 


King  David  157 

Simply  dressed  in  the  flowing  Arab  robe  which 
has  been  adopted  as  the  dress-garment  of  all 
the  chiefs,  the  boy-king  carries  himself  with 
dignity,  which  on  occasion  he  can  shake  off, 
and  enjoy  as  any  other  lad  a  game  of  footer 
and  hockey,  or  a  spin  on  his  Sunbeam  cycle. 
He  is  also  fond  of  riding  his  pretty  little  white 
pony:  to  European  eyes  a  more  dignified 
method  of  transit  than  the  native  custom  of 
sitting  astride  the  shoulders  of  a  huge  Muganda. 

His  education  was  begun  by  a  native  school- 
master under  the  direction  of  a  missionary  of 
the  O.M.S.  ;  but  the  British  Government  has 
for  some  years  past  provided  him  with  an  able 
English  (Scotch,  surely  !)  tutor,  a  graduate  of 
Cambridge.  Under  him  Daudi  has  made  rapid 
strides  in  all  the  elements  of  a  sound  education, 
and  is  especially  proud  of  his  ability  to  under- 
stand and  converse  in  English. 

On  the  same  hill  and  in  the  King's  enclosure 
is  the  native  parliament  house,  where  the  chiefs 
assemble  to  discuss  the  condition  of  the  country 
and  promulgate  laws,  which  may  or  may  not 
receive  the  sanction  of  the  British  Governor. 
At  present,  and  until  he  reaches  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  the  "Kabaka,"  or  King,  is  a 
minor ;  and  three  regents  are  responsible  for 
the  government,  receiving  for  this  an  additional 
£200  per  annum.     One  of  these  regents,  the 


158   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

"  Katikiro,"  or  Prime  Minister,  presides  over  the 
parliament,  except  on  such  occasions  as  the 
young  King  is  brought  in  for  the  purpose  of 
training.  The  Prime  Minister,  a  capable-look- 
ing giant,  was  a  notable  figure  at  King  Edward's 
Coronation,  and  has  since  been  made  a  Knight 
Commander  of  the  Order  of  SS.  Michael  and 
George.  This  man,  risen  from  peasant  rank, 
is  the  virtual  ruler  of  Uganda,  and  responsible, 
perhaps  more  than  any  one  else,  for  the  great 
desire  to  advance  along  Western  lines  which  has 
taken  such  a  hold  of  the  people. 

There  is  a  native  proverb  to  the  effect  that 
the  strength  of  a  sheep  is  in  its  tail ;  that  be- 
hind all  forward  movement  there  is  some  one 
or  something  giving  a  powerful  impetus ;  and 
this  is  undoubtedly  true  of  the  Katikiro,  Sir 
Apolo  Kagwa,  K.C.M.G.;  but  of  this  power  we 
shall  speak  in  another  chapter,  since  my  object 
here  is  to  point  out  not  only  the  advanced 
desires  of  the  natives,  but  their  remarkable 
capabilities  and  the  possibility  of  making  them 
immediately  responsible  for  every  branch  of 
administration,  with  only  a  comparatively 
small  outlay  for  European  supervision. 

What  would  be  lost  by  such  an  arrangement  ? 

The  collection  of  taxes  is  already  in  the  hands 
of  the  native  chiefs,  and  they  are  also  respon- 
sible for  the  roads  and  markets.    The  Indian 


Lack  of  Industrial  Training  i6i 

Penal  Code  is  made  possible  by  the  help  of 
native  laws,  although  by  such  an  arrangement 
there  is  a  grave  danger  of  too  much  law. 

Nothing  has  been  done  by  the  Administration 
for  the  industrial  training  of  the  people.  All 
education  is  carried  on  by  missions,  chiefly  by 
the  agents  of  the  C.M.S.,  who  also  do  the 
bulk  of  the  medical  work  among  the  natives. 
We  have  in  Uganda  and  neighbouring  kingdoms 
comparatively  as  strong,  if  not  a  stronger, 
European  staff  of  civil  servants  as  that  set 
apart  in  British  East  Africa  for  native  work ; 
and  yet  we  have  a  letter  like  the  following  sent 
by  the  President  of  the  Uganda  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce to  the  Acting-Deputy  Commissioner: — 

"  I  am  desired  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
to  forward  you  the  following  on  the  question 
of  the  critical  and  defective  supply  of  native 
labour  in  Uganda. 

In  accordance  with  your  suggestion  a  circular 
was  addressed  to  every  member  of  the  Chamber 
asking  for  opinions  as  to  cause,  effect,  and 
remedy,  and  though  no  unanimous  views  are 
held  as  to  remedies,  yet  the  opinions  are  gene- 
rally as  follows : — 

Native  labour  in  almost  every  South  African 
colony  is  inadequate  to  the  supply.  But  as 
regards  Uganda  in  particular. 


1 62   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


Causes. 

1.  The  natural  richness  of  the  country  and  the 
cheap  and  plentiful  food  and  clothing  supply. 

2.  The  indolent  life  led  by  all  Africans  not 
subject  to  forced  labour  and  oppressive  legis- 
lation. 

3.  The  increased  demand  for  labour  for  indus- 
trial and  trade  purposes  as  well  as  for  porterage, 
especially  for  through  Congo  carriage  of  loads. 

4.  Want  of  primary  technical  agricultural 
education. 

5.  Encouragement  by  Government  and  mis- 
sionaries of  local  agriculture  whereby  the 
peasant  is  able  to  produce  all  he  wants  in 
the  way  of  money  from  his  own  garden,  as 
is  seen  by  the  great  increase  in  the  cotton- 
growing  industry. 

6.  Absence  of  labourers  who  formerly  came 
here  from  German  territory. 

7.  Monthly  payment  of  wages  of  a  sum  so 
nearly  coinciding  with  the  hut-tax. 

8.  Dislike  of  the  peasant  to  work  in  the 
towns  owing  to  the  increased  cost  of  living. 
The  majority  of  men  who  came  to  earn  money 
for  hut-tax  arrive  generally  entirely  unpro- 
vided with  money  or  food,  and  unless  helped 
by  friends,  or  they  receive  posho,  practically 
starve    themselves  for   a  month,  and  feeling 


Labour  Problems  163 


this  enforced  punishment  so  severely  that  im- 
mediately they  have  received  a  month's  pay 
return  to  their  homes. 

9.  Sleeping  sickness  mortality  preventing  the 
growth  of  the  population. 

Effects. 

1.  Persistent  shortness  of  labour  supply. 

2.  Gradual  and  regular  increase  of  wages. 

3.  Loss  to  Government  and  merchants  by 
delay. 

Remedies. 

1.  Immigration.  Inquiries  have  shown  that 
large  numbers  of  men  are  available  in  the 
neighbouring  German  territory.  At  Bukoba 
alone  I  am  informed  that  five  thousand  men 
could  easily  be  obtained  at  a  day's  notice. 
Would  it  not  be  possible  to  induce  the  Govern- 
ment of  German  East  Africa  to  allow  indenture 
of  natives  for  work  in  Uganda  under  due  safe- 
guards for  their  return  to  the  colony,  and 
a  payment  by  immigration  agents  to  that 
Government  corresponding  to  the  amount 
of  the  hut-tax  payable  to  the  colony. 

2.  A  census  and  registration  of  the  adult 
native  population  through  the  chiefs  and  regis- 
tration for  six  months  by  employees.    The  right 


164   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

given  to  chiefs  to  punish  by  fine  natives  for  not 
keeping  to  engagements  or  absconding. 

3.  A  weekly  wage  experiment  has  shown  that 
when  the  peasant  receives  a  weekly  wage  he 
requires  no  posho,  spends  more,  lives  better, 
and  is  consequently  a  longer  time  in  saving 
up  sufficient  money  to  enable  him  to  pay  his 
tax.  The  payment  of  posho  and  a  wage  at 
the  end  of  a  month  is  an  encouragement  for 
him  to  return  to  his  country. 

4.  Encouragement  given  to  minor  native 
chiefs  to  exact  rent,  or  labour  in  lieu  thereof, 
for  the  house  and  land  occupied  by  the  peasant. 

5.  Improved  roads  to  allow  increased  trans- 
port facilities  by  bullock  wagon,  which  would 
relieve  many  thousands  of  men  from  Safari 
who  are  now  merely  beasts  of  burden.  A  cal- 
culation has  been  made  by  one  of  our  members 
long  resident  in  Uganda  that  at  least  50  per 
cent,  of  the  labour  of  this  country  is  non-pro- 
ductive, and  utterly  wasted,  in  porterage, 
in  water-carrying  and  in  road-mending  or 
making  on  an  altogether  primitive  and  wrong 
system. 

6.  The  provision  of  primary  technical  schools 
for  agriculture,  trade,  road-making,  &c.,  which 
would  help  to  induce  the  males,  and  especially 
the  younger  generation,  to  desire  a  more  regular 
manual  labour." 


Administrative  Breakdown  165 


It  is  not  necessary  to  agree  with  every  point 
in  the  letter  to  realise  its  value,  as  emphasising 
the  fact  that  there  is  a  serious  breakdown  in 
the  general  administration  of  the  country — and 
a  breakdown,  not  in  spite  of,  but  more  probably 
because  of  the  dual  form  of  administration  ;  the 
Western  as  represented  by  English  officialism 
not  daring  to  Westernise  enough,  and  the  feudal 
as  represented  by  the  native  "  Lukiko,"  or  Par- 
liament, holding  things  together.  Indeed,  with- 
out its  capable  co-operation  the  present  peaceful 
organisation  would  undoubtedly  collapse. 

One  really  striking  statement  in  the  letter 
is — "  A  calculation  has  been  made  by  one  of  our 
members  long  resident  in  Uganda  that  at  least 
50  per  cent,  of  the  labour  of  this  country  is 
non-productive  and  utterly  wasted  in  porterage, 
water-carrying,  and  in  road-making  or  mending 
on  an  altogether  primitive  and  wrong  system." 

No  greater  condemnation  than  that  contained 
in  this  passage  could  have  been  passed  upon  a 
native  administration  ;  but  this  is  passed  upon 
the  British,  and  deservedly  so,  for  I  believe  that 
if  a  man  like  '*  Bwana  Tayari "  (Sawhili  name, 
meaning  "  Mr.  Ready,"  and  used  by  the  natives 
when  speaking  of  Mr.  George  Wilson,  C.B., 
Deputy-Governor  of  Uganda)  had  been  allowed 
to  generally  superintend  and  direct  the  gradual 
and  natural  evolution  of  the  feudal  system,  we 

9 


1 66    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

should  not  have  had  what  is  now  acute — a 
native  labour  problem. 

The  "  wrong  system "  of  road-making  can  be 
seen  in  operation  throughout  the  Protectorate. 
Hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  children  are 
required  in  the  first  instance  to  cultivate  the 
portion  of  the  country  that  has  been  pegged 
out  as  a  proposed  road  by  one  of  the  white 
officials.  It  may  be  ten  yards  wide  or  it  may 
be  thirty ;  it  may  be  straight  or  it  may  be 
crooked;  it  may  satisfy  one  official  and  be  left 
to  die  by  another,  who  will  call  upon  the  chief 
to  do  all  over  again  elsewhere  what  is  after 
all  only  a  heart-breaking  job,  for  such  a  road 
must  be  constantly  kept  weeded  to  prevent  its 
being  lost  sight  of. 

Naturally  the  people  soon  get  tired  of  such 
unending  labour,  and  many  of  them  leave  the 
homes  of  their  fathers  because  situate  near  a 
road ;  and  large  tracts  of  land,  once  well-culti- 
vated gardens,  have  been  given  up  to  long  grass 
and  leopards. 

Now,  and  not  the  dim  and  distant  future,  is 
the  time  to  improve  the  roads,  for  every  year 
the  native  is  in  touch  with  so-called  civilisation 
brought  in  by  the  Uganda  Railway,  makes  him 
more  difficult  to  deal  with  and  more  expensive 
to  employ. 

Each  chief  and  people  of  a  district  in  the 


Cultivation  versus  Macadam  167 


Uganda  and  adjoining  kingdoms,  as  well  as  in 
the  country  of  Usoga,  where  the  natives  have 
been  under  European  influence  for  some  years 
past,  might  be  made  immediately  responsible  for 
the  construction  and  maintenance  of  macadam- 
ised roads.  The  time  spent  in  breaking  stones 
by  a  few  hundred  men  in  each  district  would 
eventually  prove  an  enormous  saving  in  time, 
temper,  and  labour.  Attempts  have  also  been 
made  to  utilise  certain  waterways  for  the  con- 
veyance of  merchandise  ;  and  there  again  the 
"  wrong  system "  was  seen  at  work.  At  one 
time  large  gangs  of  men  have  been  employed 
in  cutting  down  papyrus  and  clearing  away  the 
sud  ;  but  gradually  the  workers  disappeared, 
and  the  work  was  allowed  to  drop  until  the 
growth  was  as  thick  as  ever,  when  the  labour 
of  clearing  was  begun  all  over  again. 

Definite  and  sustained  effort  is  badly  needed 
in  order  to  perfect  transport  facilities,  and  were 
it  made  known  that  all  taxation  would  cease  for 
one  year  in  any  district  occupied  with  road- 
making,  with  proper  punishment  of  harder 
labour  for  individuals  refusing  to  do  their  part, 
the  transport  problem  would  be  solved,  because 
wheeled  traffic  would  be  really  possible.  Another 
very  important  point  touched  on  is  the  lack  of 
technical  instruction.  Not  a  single  penny  has 
been  spent  by  the  Administration  on  technical 


1 68   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


instruction.  Had  this  been  done  not  only  would 
the  males  of  a  younger  generation  have  had  a 
keener  desire  for  regular  manual  labour,  but 
the  present  generation  would  have  solved,  and 
will  even  now  solve  if  taught  how,  the  most 
pressing  problems.  If  the  idea  behind  British 
administration  in  Uganda  is  not  the  farming 
of  taxes,  but  the  true  development  of  the  native 
and  his  country,  then  I  plead  most  earnestly 
that  technical  schools  for  the  teaching  of  trades 
and  agriculture  be  established  by  Government 
in  each  district,  and  that  every  boy  and  girl  be 
compelled  to  attend  for  no  less  a  period  than 
three  years. 

The  calm  way  in  which  the  Government 
relegates  this  and  all  other  education  to  the 
Christian  missionary,  making  suggestions  here 
and  requests  there,  would  be  most  amusing — in 
the  face  of  an  education  problem  at  home — were 
it  not  deplorable.  In  a  country  like  Uganda 
and  neighbouring  kingdoms,  where  there  is 
native  desire  for  advancement,  and  organisation 
already  in  existence  to  enable  the  head  of  the 
State  to  deal  with  each  individual,  and  a  very 
substantial  revenue,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  not  the  privilege  of  missions  to  spend 
money  in  seeking  to  develop  this  side  of  native 
character.  The  writer  would  be  sorry  to  convey 
the  idea  that  he  does  not  recognise  the  inestim- 


Income  and  Expenditure  169 


able  value  to  Uganda  of  England's  protection, 
brought  about  in  the  year  1894  through  the 
influence  of  the  C.M.S. ;  but  we  must  not  forget 
that  there  are  certain  compensations  given  in 
return,  which  lay  responsibilities  and  obliga- 
tions upon  the  protecting  Power. 

Out  of  a  computed  19,600  square  miles,  the 
British  Administration  took  as  its  own  under 
the  1900  agreement  1,500  square  miles  of  forest 
land,  and  claimed  control  over  9,000  square 
miles  of  uncultivated  land,  which  really  means 
that  we  have  taken  more  than  half  of  the  land 
for  being  willing  to  protect  the  remainder,  and 
then  of  course  we  make  the  remainder  pay  as 
much  as  possible  of  the  cost  of  protection. 

For  1907  the  receipts  for  the  whole  Protec- 
torate, from  hut,  gun,  and  poll  taxes  were  be- 
tween £50,000  and  £60,000.  Besides  this  amount 
there  were  import  and  export,  road  and  wharf 
dues,  registration  fees,  licence  fees,  &c.,  &c., 
bringing  the  total  to  a  goodly  sum,  the  expen- 
diture of  which — with  additional  grants  from 
England — provides  not  only  interesting  reading 
but  material  for  serious  reflection. 

Some  £6,000  is  returned  annually  to  the  King 
and  chiefs  of  Uganda  under  the  above-men- 
tioned agreement,  whereby,  as  we  saw  at  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter,  the  chiefs  became  in 
return  simply  hut-tax  collectors.    To  this,  as  we 


ijo  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

have  seen,  the  Administration  has  found  it 
necessary  to  add  much  of  their  old  feudal  power, 
and  to-day  there  are  no  more  hard-working, 
painstaking,  and  loyal  men  anywhere  than  the 
Saza  chiefs  of  Uganda  ;  yet  I  have  heard  men 
gravely  discuss  whether  we  are  justified  in  pay- 
ing these  chiefs  their  £200  per  annum,  which  is 
£50  less  than  the  allowance  to  a  raw  assistant 
collector  fresh  out  from  England. 

In  my  own  mind  the  doubt  is  whether  in  a 
Protectorate  like  Uganda,  with  such  native 
material  ready  to  hand,  infinitely  more  capable 
than  raw  youths  from  England  of  doing 
collectors'  and  magistrates'  work,  we  are 
justified  in  paying  any  but  native  officials,  with, 
of  course,  the  exception  of  white  leaders  as  I 
have  already  suggested. 

If  only  in  addition  to  the  £6,000  spent  on 
stipends  to  the  King  and  chiefs,  an  additional 
£10,000  could  be  spent  annually  for  the  next  ten 
years  on  providing  a  commercial,  technical,  and 
industrial  training  for  picked  youngsters  drawn 
from  the  whole  Protectorate,  how  much  more 
good  it  would  do  than,  say,  the  building  of  an 
expensive  military  system;  and  surely  such 
technical  training  is  far  more  important. 

The  letter  from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
failed  to  mention  that  whilst  in  England  the 
wages  of  a  private  soldier — including  everything 


The  Strategic  Value  of  Uganda  171 

— are  about  equal  to  those  of  a  labourer,  in 
Uganda  they  are  about  three  times  as  much ;  so 
that  a  careful  native  who  joins  either  the  police — 
who  do  military  work — or  the  regular  army,  can, 
during  the  first  term  of  service,  save  as  much  as 
will  enable  him  to  pay  hut-tax  and  meet  all  his 
needs  for  many  years. 

Thus  we  have  a  native  problem  growing  more 
pressing  and  difficult  every  day ;  and  is  it  any 
wonder  ? 

The  strategic  position  of  Uganda  is  another 
valuable  asset  of  England,  and  it  must  be  held  ; 
but  it  would  be  wiser  and  cheaper  in  the  end  to 
hold  it  by  Sikhs  only,  than  at  this  stage  of 
Uganda's  history  to  enlist  the  native,  and,  by  an 
unhealthy  rate  of  pay,  jeopardise  the  develop- 
ment of  the  country. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  for  a  moment  that  my 
criticism  of  a  system  means  a  criticism  of  the 
British  official,  or  a  suggestion  that  he  is  at  all 
incapable.  As  in  every  class  of  men,  there  are 
no  doubt  good,  bad,  and  indifferent  officials  ;  but 
my  experience  is  chiefly  of  the  good.  They  are 
men  who  find  a  system  in  existence  and  try  to 
make  the  best  of  it ;  but  would  it  not  be  better 
for  them  and  for  the  Protectorate  if  the  system 
were  altered  so  as — to  quote  the  Right  Hon. 
Winston  Churchill,  who,  as  Under-Secretary 
for  the  Colonies,  recently  visited  Uganda — "to 

I 


172   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


organise  scientifically,  upon  a  humane  and 
honourable  line,  the  industry  of  an  entire 
population,  and  to  apply  the  whole  funds  of 
their  labour  to  their  own  enrichment  and 
elevation  "  ? 

The  British  official  would  still  be  required  to 
open  up  the  vast  regions  north  and  north-east 
of  Uganda,  leading  right  away  beyond  Lake 
Rudolph  to  the  borders  of  Abyssinia. 


174 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  SIGHTS  OF  MENGO 


Kampala  —  Nakasero  —  Uganda  Company,  Ltd.  —  Philan- 
thropy and  percentage — Cotton  ginning  and  baling — 
Stones  sold  at  cotton  price — Uganda  newspapers — Roman 
Catholic  Missions — Roman  disunion — C.M.S.  headquarters 
— The  Cathedral  and  congregation — The  Uganda  drum 
— Missionary  meetings — God's  Acre — The  Soudanese  Re- 
bellion— Sad  days — Mengo  Hospital — High  School — The 
Bishop's  Palace. 

TjIROM  the  King's  hill,   although  not  very 


-J-  high,  interesting  and  picturesque  glimpses 
of  the  capital  can  be  secured. 

Behind  us  lies  the  Lake ;  and  soon,  I  have  no 
doubt,  the  port  of  Uganda  will  be  Munyonyo,  a 
place  not  more  than  eight  miles  from  Mengo, 
safe  for  shipping,  and  more  suitable  and  con- 
venient in  every  way  than  Entebbe,  which  is 
more  than  a  comfortable  day's  march  from 
where  we  stand. 

Here,  outside  the  King's  fence,  we  can  see 


175 


176   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

the  little  hill  of  Kampala,  which  was  the  first 
Government  station  in  the  country ;  and 
curiously  enough,  because  of  this,  the  name  of 
the  little  insignificant  hillock  now  occupied  by 
a  Commission  sent  out  to  inquire  into  the 
ravages  of  Specific  Disease  has  been  made  the 
postal  and  geographical  name  for  the  native 
capital. 

Some  years  ago  the  local  administrative 
centre  was  moved  from  Kampala  because  of 
its  unhealthiness,  to  Nakasero,  a  high  hill  near, 
on  which  is  built  the  English  fort.  Here  also 
may  be  seen  European  and  Indian  traders, 
catering  for  the  taste,  inclination,  and  need  of 
native  and  white  man,  with  every  conceivable 
article. 

Near  the  foot  of  the  same  hill  is  built  the 
factory  of  the  Uganda  Company,  which  was 
floated  to  take  over  and  develop  on  practical 
business,  yet  Christian,  lines  the  industrial  work 
of  the  C.M.S.,  for  which  more  money  could  not 
be  spared. 

With  such  a  philanthropic  aim  it  secured  the 
practical  sympathy  of  many  Christian  people, 
and  also  received  considerable  help  from  the 
C.M.S.,  who  allowed  one  of  its  missionaries  to 
transfer  his  services  to  the  Company  as 
manager,  which  at  once  gave  it  a  unique 
advantage  over  ordinary  concerns. 


The  Uganda  Company  177 

On  the  whole  it  has  done  a  good  work, 
though  not  quite  on  the  lines  expected  by- 
many  ;  but  no  doubt  any  failure  to  develop 
its  industrial  work  actually  on  the  lines  of  a 
Christian  Mission  has  been  due  more  to  the 
force  of  circumstances  than  lack  of  inclination. 

If  for  nothing  else,  the  Uganda  Company 
deserves  well  of  England,  because  of  the 
impetus  it  gave  to  cotton-growing  before  any 
one  else  had  moved  in  that  direction  ;  and  a 
visit  to  the  factory,  built  at  great  expense — the 
greater  because  the  first  of  its  kind,  and  all  such 
ventures  must  pay  for  the  privilege  of  handing 
down  experience — is  both  interesting  and  in- 
structive. 

A  complete  cotton-ginning  plant,  worked  by 
steam-power,  controlled  by  the  Baganda  under 
the  superintendence  of  Englishmen,  can  be  seen 
in  operation,  whereby  the  whole  process  from 
seed  extraction  to  bale-pressing  is  carried  out 
without  a  hitch  ;  reflecting  the  greatest  credit 
on  the  manager  who  was  responsible  for  its 
erection. 

This  and  other  factories  have  now  taken  their 
place  as  an  accepted  part  of  Uganda  life,  and 
crowds  of  natives  come  in  from  long  distances 
with  loads  of  raw  cotton,  for  which  they  receive 
about  a  penny  per  lb. 

Some  two  years  ago  there  was  such  a  rush  of 


178    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

cotton  that  the  agents  feared  they  would  have 
to  refuse  it  for  lack  of  storage  room.  Tons 
came  in  every  day,  and  might  have  continued 
to  come  in  even  with  a  greater  rush  had  a 
casual  examination  not  proved  that  the 
Baganda  were  not  such  innocents  as  the 
management  supposed.  A  penny  per  lb.  for 
raw  cotton  leaves  a  fair  margin  for  all  expenses, 
and  a  good  healthy  percentage  besides  ;  but 
when  quite  three-quarters  of  each  lb.  is  com- 
posed of  stone — weU,  some  one  is  likely  to  '*  see 
trouble,"  as  the  Baganda  express  it. 

It  was  so  easy  to  put  a  lump  of  ironstone 
in  the  middle  of  a  bundle  which  was  merely 
weighed ;  and  the  consequence  was  that  a  good 
many  stones  were  bought  at  cotton  price  ! 

It  was  also  comparatively  easy  to  walk  round 
the  building  with  the  load  of  cotton  which 
ought  to  have  been  deposited  inside ;  con- 
sequently a  goodly  number  of  Baganda  walked 
round  the  building  with  their  loads  and  resold 
them  to  the  innocent  agent  at  the  scales  ! 

There  is  also  a  printing  department  at  the 
works  of  this  Company,  and  I  hope  the  ancient 
borough  of  Stockton-on-Tees,  with  which  I  am 
at  present  connected,  is  justly  proud  of  the  fact 
that  it  has  provided  the  superintendent  of  this 
department.  Each  month  I  receive  a  little 
journal  from   Uganda — for  that  country  has 


Newspapers  in  Uganda  179 

now  two  newspapers,  or  at  any  rate  monthly 
pamphlets  which  serve  as  such  :  one,  Uganda 
Notes  for  Europeans ;  and  the  other,  Ebifa 
Ebuganda^  Uganda  news  for  natives,  ably  edited 
and  published  by  Mr.  C.  J.  Phillips,  a  member 
of  the  C.M.S. — admirably  printed  by  Baganda 
boys  in  the  works  of  the  Uganda  Company. 

In  another  shop  of  the  Company,  and  in  sheds 
throughout  the  capital,  native  men  and  boys 
are  at  work  upon  boards  that  have  been  sawn 
in  the  forests  by  other  natives,  and  brought  to 
Mengo  for  sale.  These  are  speedily  made  into 
tables,  chairs,  doors,  shutters,  frames,  desks,  and 
bookshelves,  and  turned  out  in  fairly  good  style, 
though  lacking  that  finish  which  bespeaks  the 
master-hand  :  a  fault  for  which  the  lack  of  long 
apprenticeship  is  responsible. 

Not  far  from  the  factory  the  Company  has  its 
store  for  the  retailing  of  imports  ;  and  this,  per- 
haps, is  the  only  department  to  which  any 
exception  can  be  taken.  It  may  be  argued,  with 
some  show  of  justice,  that  this  department 
brings  a  professedly  philanthropic  enterprise, 
which  has  received  unique  advantage  over 
other  trades  through  the  help  rendered  by 
the  C.M.S.  and  its  agents,  not  only  into 
competition,  but  into  unfair  competition,  with 
other  traders ;  yet  in  this  department  the  Com- 
pany and  the  country  have  been  fortunate  in 


i8o   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

securing  the  services  of  a  manager  who  remark- 
ably carries  out  in  his  own  life  and  work  the 
primary  aim  of  the  Company,  namely,  to  try  in 
the  course  of  ordinary  business  to  influence  and 
elevate  the  native. 

To  the  right  of  Nakasero,  and  where  we  stand, 
can  be  seen  the  hill  of  Nsambya,  the  Uganda 
headquarters  of  St.  Joseph's  Mission  :  a  branch 
of  St.  Joseph's  Society  for  Foreign  Missions 
founded  at  Mill  Hill,  London,  by  the  late 
Cardinal  Vaughan. 

The  first  Bishop  of  this  Mission  left  London 
with  four  priests  in  May,  1895,  the  same  month 
in  which  I  left  with  others  to  begin  our  journey. 
The  priests  reached  Mengo  in  September  of  the 
same  year,  and  we  arrived  at  the  end  of  October, 
having  travelled  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

This  Mission  has  over  twenty  thousand 
baptized  adherents,  many  of  whom  were  passed 
over  to  it  with  the  portion  of  Uganda  allotted 
to  its  Bishopric  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
French  Algerian  Mission  of  the  White  Fathers, 
whose  local  headquarters  are  very  prominently 
and  substantially  built  on  the  hill  of  Rubaga, 
situate  on  our  left  as  we  stand  at  the  King's 
Gate. 

This  latter  Mission  has  had  an  interesting, 
aye,  even  exciting  time  in  Uganda,  for  it  is  the 
one  whose  adherents  clashed  with  those  of  the 


Roman  Catholicism  in  Uganda    1 8 1 

C.M.S.  in  Lugard's  time  over  the  question  of 
whether  the  country  was  to  be  French  or 
English  ;  and  it  is  almost  pathetic  to  think  that 
its  reward  has  been  the  French  Ecclesiastical 
Coup,  from  which  I  understand  it  only  managed 
to  save  its  Algerian  property  by  its  transference 
to  lay  holders,  and  the  setting  up  in  the  capital 
of  Uganda  of  another  Roman  Catholic  Bishopric 
with  which  it  has  had  to  share  its  honours. 

Apropos  of  Roman  Catholicism  in  Uganda 
and  East  Africa,  I  was  recently  asked  why  the 
C.M.S.  had  not  a  working  agreement  with  lines 
demarcating  spheres  of  influence.  I  explained 
that  this  was  done  for  the  Mission  in  the  Soudan 
by  the  Government,  but  with  us  since  Govern- 
ment has  not  marked  off  spheres,  and  since  the 
C.M.S.  was  first  in  the  field,  it  would  be  im- 
possible :  the  Romanists  would  not  agree  to  any 
such  arrangement.  I  gave  a  very  striking 
example  of  Roman  Catholic  nonconformity — or 
at  any  rate  disunion — which  is  even  now  going 
on  near  Lake  Naivasha,  where  certain  priests 
have  appeared  from  the  Somali  coast,  and  are 
threatening  the  Bishoprics  of  the  Uganda  and 
Zanzibar  Roman  Catholic  Bishops,  who  are 
doing  their  best  to  keep  them  out. 

To  return  to  our  stand  outside  the  King's 
Gate ;  we  see  right  in  front  of  us  the  English 
Cathedral  on  the  hill  of  Namirembe ;  and  a 


1 82    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


weird  yet  striking  edifice  it  looks,  with  its  three 
thatched  pinnacles,  all  in  a  row,  like  the  prongs 
of  a  giant's  trident.  Thither  we  now  make  our 
way,  and  find  it  the  centre  of  activity,  for  the  hill 
is  the  headquarters  of  the  C.M.S.  Uganda  Mis- 
sion, whose  agents  are  to  be  found  at  Wadelai, 
in  the  north,  Nassa,  in  German  territory,  to 
the  south,  beyond  Ruwenzori  in  the  west,  and 
beyond  Mount  Elgon  in  the  east. 

The  present  cathedral  is  the  third  which 
has  occupied  the  site  during  the  last  few  years. 
The  two  former  were  miniature  forests ;  for 
innumerable  poles  were  planted  in  the  ground 
and  used  to  support  the  woven  canopy  of 
poles  and  reeds  which  carried  the  thatch. 
They  were  very  useful  buildings,  but  risky ; 
for  no  pole  seemed  beyond  the  appetite  of  the 
white  ant,  and  the  result  was  a  somewhat 
speedy  collapse. 

The  building  we  are  now  viewing  is  a  tre- 
mendous advance  on  its  predecessors,  though 
scarcely  a  permanent  structure.  It  is  made  of 
sun-dried  bricks,  and  is  altogether  the  work 
of  the  natives  under  European  supervision. 
Externally  it  is  not  a  thing  of  beauty,  but  a 
glance  at  the  photograph  of  the  interior  on 
p.  174  will  show  that  its  lines  and  proportions 
are  bold  and  noble. 

The  ordinary  Sunday  morning  congregation 


A  Magnificent  Congregation  183 

is  a  sight  worth  seeing,  for  often  there  are  not 
less  than  two  thousand  people,  old  and  young, 
rich  and  poor ;  some  on  chairs,  others  on 
stools,  skins,  or  straw  mats.  Only  the  chancel 
is  provided  with  seating,  so  that  the  general 
congregation,  white  or  black,  must  bring  their 
own  seats  if  they  wish  to  be  raised  above 
the  level  of  the  floor.  May  the  system  long 
continue ! 

Many  beautiful  skins  of  leopard  and  ante- 
lope are  seen  being  carried  to  and  from  the 
church ;  and  this  reminds  me  that  recent 
writers  have  said  that  the  Baganda  are  noted 
tanners.  They  are  nothing  of  the  kind ;  the 
Baganda  do  not  know  how  to  tan,  but  they 
are  remarkable  skin-dressers,  in  the  process  of 
which  they  make  a  liberal  use  of  a  knife,  a 
stone,  and  butter. 

The  congregation  is  summoned  by  the  beat- 
ing of  a  drum  or  drums — a  very  important 
factor  in  the  life  of  a  Muganda. 

In  the  old  days  the  King's  drum  was  sounded 
to  summon  men  to  war ;  and  so  perfect  was 
their  organisation  that  its  sound  and  sum- 
mons was  passed  on  from  hill  to  hill,  so  that 
before  evening  every  warrior  in  the  country 
was  under  arms  and  on  his  way  to  the  capital, 
there  to  receive  the  appointed  general,  who 
would  lead  the  army  wherever  the  King  wished 

30 


184  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

them  to  make  a  raid  for  cattle  or  human 
beings. 

The  sound  is  still  passed  on,  but  now  from 
Namirembe,  the  hill  of  peace  ;  and  at  its  sum- 
mons full  sixty  thousand  people  assemble  to 
render  homage  to  the  King  of  kings,  or  to  go 
forth  among  the  very  nations  who  hate  the 
Baganda  for  their  past  oppression,  to  make 
known  to  them  the  Gospel  of  light  and  life 
and  liberty. 

The  morning  service  may  seem  somewhat 
lengthy  to  a  European,  but  he  will  not  fail 
to  be  impressed  by  the  reverence  of  the  con- 
gregation, their  bright  and  hearty — if  to  his 
ears  unmusical — singing,  and  by  the  large 
number  of  communicants. 

One  or  two  native  clergymen  assist  at  the 
service,  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  a  layman 
to  preach  the  sermon,  which  I  can  assure 
you  is  of  fifteen  minutes'  duration — and  more. 

The  visitor  will  also  be  interested  and 
amused  at  the  process  of  evolution  evident 
in  the  attire  of  the  congregation,  and  he  will 
understand  that  such  absurdities  are  bound 
to  show  themselves  even  at  solemn  times 
and  in  sacred  places,  when  a  nation  unused 
to  such  things  is  suddenly  given  the  means 
of  displaying  its  most  fantastic  tastes  in  colour 
and  shape. 


i86 


Native  Missionary  Meetings  187 

A  glance  at  the  accompanying  picture  of  a 
wedding  party  leaving  church  will  show  that 
their  taste  is  not  always  extravagant  or  un- 
becoming. The  only  thing  at  all  objectionable 
is  the  lady's  tarbooch,  or  Turkish  cap — one 
stage  in  the  evolution  which  I  am  confident 
will  soon  pass  away. 

The  cathedral  is  surrounded  by  other  build- 
ings, in  which  the  ordinary  work  of  schools, 
preparation  for  baptism  and  confirmation,  and 
the  training  of  teachers  is  carried  on. 

There  is  a  fine  school  for  girls,  another  for 
women,  and  another  for  boys,  all  built  of  sun- 
dried  brick  ;  besides  which  there  is  an  impos- 
ing structure  of  the  same  material  used  as  a 
theological  hall,  in  which  the  teachers  and 
clergy  are  trained. 

The  work  carried  on  in  these  buildings  is 
of  an  extensive,  interesting,  and  useful  cha- 
racter, beginning  at  the  very  bottom  of  the 
ladder  with  ABC,  and  going  right  on  to 
the  higher  branches  of  theology. 

On  one  day  of  the  week  all  this  teaching 
ceases,  and  the  members  assemble  to  take  part 
in  a  missionary  meeting,  at  which  natives,  who 
have  been  labouring  in  distant  corners  of  the 
Protectorate,  tell  of  their  work. 

Not  a  detail  is  omitted.  The  number  of 
sermons  preached,  the  attitude  of  the  people, 


1 88   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

the  kindness  or  otherwise  of  the  chiefs,  the 
dangers  encountered,  the  presents  received,  the 
amount  of  food  eaten,  are  all  retailed  with  an 
exactitude  most  amusing  to  a  foreigner ;  but 
besides  this  there  is  in  some  of  the  addresses 
a  deep  spiritual  tone  which  is  the  real  life 
of  the  movement. 

At  the  close  of  the  addresses  an  offertory, 
more  varied  in  kind  than  the  English  mind 
can  conjure  up,  is  made  :  bananas,  sugar-cane, 
eggs,  fowls,  goats,  sheep,  cattle,  shells,  beads, 
pice  and  rupees  are  all  given,  and  it  is  no 
uncommon  thing  for  natives  to  offer  them- 
selves for  work  in  distant  and  difficult  places, 
although  I  think  this  is  not  now  so  usual  as 
at  one  time. 

On  the  side  of  the  same  hill  is  the  C.M.S. 
Hospital,  which  was  founded  in  1897  by  Albert 
R  Cook,  M.D.,  B.Sc.  Lond.,  B.A.  Camb.,  who 
was  soon  afterwards  joined  by  his  brother,  J. 
Howard  Cook,  M.S.  Lond.,  F.R.C.S.  Eng.,  M.D. 
Lond.,  D.T.M.H.  Camb. 

To  reach  the  hospital  we  pass  the  little 
plot  where  lie  the  remains  of  Bishop  Han- 
nington,  Pilkington,  Hubbard,  and  others  of 
the  C.M.S.  Mission,  and  De  Winton,  Thruston, 
Macdonald,  Densham,  and  others  of  the  Ad- 
ministration.   Noble  souls,  all  of  them! 

What  memories  surge  up  as  we  pass  their 


The  Soudanese  Rebellion  189 


resting-place !  We  live  over  again  the  night 
in  1897  when  news  came  in  that  Thruston, 
Wilson,  and  Scott  had  been  taken  prisoners 
at  Luba's  in  Usoga  by  the  Soudanese  soldiers 
who  had  refused  to  follow  Colonel  (now 
General  Sir  J.  C.  R.)  Macdonald  on  his  journey 
north  with  sealed  orders,  and  had  marched 
back  from  the  Ravine  Station  on  to  Uganda. 

These  men  were  ever  a  bad  lot,  having 
rebelled  against  the  Egyptian  Government, 
and  when  serving  Emin  Pasha  had  held  him 
prisoner  until  relieved  by  Stanley. 

With  their  leader,  Selim  Bey,  they  were 
enlisted  in  the  Lado  Enclave  by  Lugard,  and 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Uganda  border  forts, 
where  they  were  a  greater  curse  than  any 
number  of  enemies  might  have  been,  since 
under  Selim  Bey  they  were  a  Mohammedan 
menace  to  the  peace  and  stability  of  Uganda, 
until  they  were  enrolled  as  Imperial  troops. 

But  their  old  nature  was  too  strong  for 
them,  and  now  from  the  fort  at  Luba's  near 
the  Nile  they  had  despatched  messengers  to 
all  the  soldiers  throughout  Uganda,  calling 
upon  them  to  kill  the  white  men  and  take 
the  country  for  Mohammed.  These  emissaries 
had  reached  the  lines  at  Kampala,  and  we 
were  warned  that  before  morning  we  should 
probably  be  attacked  and  killed.    In  the  event 


I  go   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

of  no  attack  we  were  to  make  our  way  to 
Kampala  Hill  next  morning  and  there  help  to 
disarm  the  soldiery  who  could  no  longer  be 
trusted.  We  did  so  and  succeeded  ;  but  in  the 
meantime  grave  things  were  happening  at 
Luba's,  for  the  rebels  there,  having  been  re- 
pulsed by  Colonel  Macdonald,  had  brutally  shot 
their  three  white  prisoners,  Major  Thruston, 
Mr.  Wilson,  and  Mr.  Scott. 

Then  came  the  news  of  the  fruitless  attack 
on  the  rebel  fort  by  the  brave  Protestant 
Baganda  (most  of  the  Mohammedans  were 
wavering  or  had  already  thrown  in  their  lot 
with  the  Soudanese  rebels,  and  many  of  the 
Roman  Catholics  had  thrown  in  their  lot  with 
the  rebellion  of  King  Mwanga  in  the  west), 
and  of  the  death  of  Captain  Macdonald  (the 
Colonel's  brother)  and  Mr.  Pilkington. 

It  fell  to  my  lot  to  speedily  build  the  first 
hospital,  to  meet  the  wounded  who  were 
sent  by  canoe,  and  get  them  carried  to  the 
capital,  where  Dr.  A.  R.  Cook  worked  day  and 
night,  ably  assisted  by  the  Mission  ladies,  to 
alleviate  the  terrible  sufferings,  that  had  been 
intensified  by  a  long  delay  en  route. 

Graves  had  to  be  dug  for  the  Europeans 
killed  in  Usoga,  a  coffin  made  for  Pilkington's 
body — the  Government  made  others  for  their 
own  men — and  then  there   was  that  last  sad 


The  C.M.S.  Hospital  191 

and  solemn  scene  when  they  were  laid  to  rest 
"  in  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the  resurrection 
to  eternal  life,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

The  roses  are  blooming  on  their  graves,  and 
sweetly  speak  of  life,  yet  we  cannot  help  but 
linger,  and  picture  it  all  again  ;  but  now  let 
us  wend  our  way  outside  the  wall  and  down 
the  hill  to  the  hospital. 

The  first  branch  of  the  medical  work  met 
with  is  the  dispensary,  known  as  the  "  Well- 
come Dispensary,"  a  substantial  and  very  use- 
ful building  where  cases  are  diagnosed,  medi- 
cines dispensed  to  thousands  of  out-patients, 
for  whom  evangelistic  services  are  held  in  a 
verandah  at  one  end  of  the  building. 

The  hospital  itself  is  a  more  pretentious 
structure  with  wards,  pathological  laboratory, 
and  operating-room  that  will  compare  very 
favourably  with  a  similar  institution  anywhere. 

Bodies  and  souls  are  well  catered  for,  and 
here,  if  anywhere,  can  be  refuted  the  non- 
sensical argument  that  it  is  unfair  to  speak 
to  natives  about  their  souls  when  their  bodies 
are  in  need  of  healing. 

The  Baganda  patients  soon  realise  that  but 
for  the  fact  that  the  doctors  and  nurses  are 
impelled  by  the  love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ 
to  care  for  them,  they  would  never  have  come 
out  to   the   country ;   and  if  their  Christian 


192   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

doctors  and  nurses  had  not  come,  who  else 
would  have  thought  of  them? 

The  doctors  are  perfectly  fair  to  every 
patient.  All  are  taken  in  and  attended  to ; 
and  if  there  happens  to  be  a  Roman  Catholic, 
the  Mission  to  which  he  belongs  is  communi- 
cated with,  and  they  are  allowed  to  help  him 
spiritually.  That  such  work  is  appreciated  by 
the  Roman  Catholics  may  be  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  they  have  more  than  once  sent  dona- 
tions to  the  funds. 

After  a  walk  through  the  wards  we  make 
our  way  round  the  hill  to  the  Mengo  High 
School — a  feature  of  the  C.M.S.  work  at  the 
capital. 

Inside  the  usual  reed  fence  is  a  large  court- 
yard, along  the  sides  of  which  are  built  board- 
ing-houses for  young  chiefs,  or  sons  of  chiefs, 
who  are  removed  from  the  evil  surroundings 
of  home  and  placed  in  this  school  to  receive 
a  sound  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  training. 

The  ability  shown  by  the  majority  of  these 
youngsters  is  remarkable,  and  will  compare 
favourably  with  that  of  lads  at  home.  In  some 
subjects  there  is  not  the  least  doubt  but  that 
the  black  can  "  lick "  the  white  boy  hollow ; 
thus  proving  that,  given  opportunity,  the 
Baganda,  in  spite  of  their  colour,  might  be 
made  anything. 


193 


The  Bishop  and  His  Palace  195 

The  three  R's,  English,  physical  exercise, 
swimming,  cycling,  tennis,  footer,  Bible  and 
Prayer  Book,  are  all  taught  and  excelled  in. 

There  is  another  important  school  called  the 
King's  School,  situate  at  a  place  called  Budo, 
some  distance  from  the  capital,  and  some  of 
the  boys  from  the  Mengo  High  School  pass 
into  the  other  on  scholarships  ;  but  enough  of 
this  subject  for  the  present;  let  us  pass  on 
and  complete  our  round. 

We  began  with  the  capital  of  British 
Administration,  the  home  of  the  Governor, 
and  made  our  way  to  the  native  capital  and 
home  of  the  King  ;  and  we  close  this  chapter 
at  the  palace  (!)  of  the  Bishop  of  Uganda — 
Dr.  Tucker,  who  has  just  completed  the  eigh- 
teenth year  of  his  episcopate — a  native-made 
wattle  and  daub,  thatched  bungalow,  well- 
worn,  weather-beaten,  and  ready  to  fall,  but 
still  tenaciously  held  by  his  Lordship,  as  an 
example  of  what  will  suffice  whilst  more  im- 
portant things  are  being  attended  to. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  WORK  AND  INFLUENCE  OF 
MISSIONS 

True  Socialism — The  life  of  women — Native  missionaries — 
Condition  of  the  Church — Appalling  numbers — Numerical 
not  necessarily  moral  strength — Danger  of  numbers — 
Danger  of  civilisation — The  housing  problem — Superficial 
character — Evil  living — Johnston's  opinion  as  to  Uganda's 
need — A  Puritan  revival — Secular  education — Desire  for 
knowledge — Intelligent  pepple — The  education  problem — 
Duties  of  Church  and  State — Church  government — White 
missionary  not  permanent — A  constitution — Self-support 
and  self-extension — Lack  of  funds  and  permanent  buildings 
— The  crisis  of  the  nation  and  the  Church — Hope — 
Questions  of  Church  practice  and  discipline — Organisation 
— A  division  of  the  diocese. 

THE  missionaries  of  Uganda  have  always 
striven  to  implant  in  the  native  mind  the 
corporate  idea  of  one  family  in  God ;  and  the 
truly  socialistic  because  Christian  idea  of  man's 
duty  to  his  fellow-man.  Their  work  has  lifted 
woman  from  a  position   of  degradation  and 

196 


A  Modern  Miracle  197 


scorn  and  made  her  accepted  throughout  the 
kingdom  as  the  equal  of  man.  It  has  made 
family  life  as  sacred  a  reality  to  many  as  it  is  in 
England ;  it  has  increased  the  value  of  human 
life  and  given  to  individuals,  once  thought  too 
insignificant  and  loathsome  to  be  noticed,  due 
recognition  as  men  and  brethren.  Indeed,  no 
one  who  knows  the  African  nature,  or  who  has 
carefully  compared  the  condition  of  Uganda 
before  the  introduction  of  missions,  with  its 
condition  at  the  present  day,  can  help  but 
declare  its  firm  conviction,  that  we  are  face  to 
face  with  a  modern  miracle. 

To  see  men  clamouring  to  leave  home,  friends, 
food,  security,  and  chances  of  advancement  to 
go  to  unknown  and  inhospitable  countries  in 
order  to  preach  a  Gospel  which  to  them  was 
more  precious  than  life,  and  for  which  they 
received  little  or  no  remuneration,  was  enough 
to  convince  the  hardest  sceptic  of  their  sincerity ; 
yet  this  was  a  common  sight  a  year  or  two  ago. 
The  wonderful  Church — building  and  people  — 
now  existing  in  the  country  of  Toro  near  the 
Mountains  of  the  Moon  is  due  in  great  measure 
to  the  pertinacity,  sincerity,  and  intrinsic  good- 
ness of  one  such  man  ;  but  the  question  is  often 
asked,  "  Are  the  Christians  of  Uganda  willing  to 
do  the  same  to-day  ?  " 

In  some  instances  Yes,   emphatically.  No 


igS   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

more  striking  instance  of  self-sacrifice  can  be 
given  in  the  world's  history  than  that  of  the 
woman  teacher  who,  hearing  that  the  people 
of  a  certain  island  were  dying  of  sleeping 
sickness  and  were  without  any  physical  or 
spiritual  assistance,  offered  herself  for  the 
work  ;  and  although  efforts  were  made  to  dis- 
suade her  from  undertaking  such  a  task,  she 
insisted  on  going  to  live  and,  if  need  be,  to  die 
(eventually  she  did  die  of  sleeping  sickness)  for 
her  fellows — but  generally  speaking  the  answer 
must  be  No. 

There  is  still  life,  strength,  and  effort  of  a 
high  character;  but  there  is  a  change  in  the 
attitude  of  mind  and  will,  due  very  largely  to 
the  changed  economic  conditions  brought  about 
by  the  introduction,  via  the  Uganda  Railway,  of 
elements  which  have  turned  the  attentions  of 
men  into  channels,  not  only  other  than  religious, 
but  even  irreligious,  and  have  created  demands 
that  are  looked  upon  as  development  but  do  not 
really  mean  progress. 

In  the  year  1886  there  were  two  hundred 
baptized  members  of  the  Church  of  England  in 
Uganda,  and  two  adults  were  baptized  that  year. 
To-day  there  are  more  than  sixty  thousand 
baptized  members,  and  six  thousand  baptisms 
take  place  annually. 

Such  numbers  are  almost  appalling  because  of 


The  Danger  of  Numbers  199 

the  responsibility  of  those  in  authority  ;  they 
represent  progress  of  a  kind,  but  is  it  progress 
indicated  by  such  vital  godliness,  high  moral 
principle,  general  self-sacrifice  and  missionary 
effort  as  might  be,  and  ought  to  be,  expected 
from  a  young  and  healthy  Christian  Church 
still  full  of  its  first  love?  In  my  own  mind 
I  am  convinced  that  it  is  not,  and  for  some 
years  I  have  endeavoured  to  study  the  cause 
or  causes  of  such  a  condition  of  Christian  de- 
clension. 

In  the  first  place,  the  very  numerical  success 
of  Christianity  has  constituted  one  of  its 
gravest  dangers.  It  grew  from  beneath  just 
as  in  the  time  of  the  apostles,  but  it  gradually 
became  the  religion  of  the  rich  and  powerful, 
with  the  result  that  the  followers  and  depen- 
dents of  the  rulers  thought  it  the  right  and 
honourable  thing  to  seek  baptism. 

Every  precaution  was  and  is  taken  to  test 
their  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  fitness,  yet 
only  those  closely  concerned  know  how  impos- 
sible it  is  to  say  who  ought  or  who  ought  not  to 
be  accepted. 

The  man  who  has  not  a  Christian  name  and 
who  cannot  read  and  write  is  looked  down  on 
by  his  fellows  ;  consequently  Christianity  is  the 
popular  religion  of  the  country,  and  is  paying 
the  price  of  all  popularity  in  being  too  general, 


200   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

weak,  and  shallow,  rather  than  deep,  strong,  and 
lasting. 

With  God  all  things  are  possible,  and  we  have 
no  reason  to  doubt  the  value  and  deep  reality  of 
the  three  thousand  added  to  the  Church  on  the 
Day  of  Pentecost,  but  as  a  general  rule  large 
numbers  are  superficial ;  and  in  the  Christian 
work  in  the  kingdom  of  Uganda  large  numbers 
have  been  general. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  glorious  work 
done ;  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  message  in 
the  lives  of  many ;  so  I  cannot  be  misunder- 
stood when  I  refer  to  facts  on  the  other  side, 
which  every  missionary  deplores  and  endeavours 
to  combat. 

Secondly,  it  seems  to  me  that  although  the 
Gospel  had  a  good  start  in  Uganda,  making 
whoever  really  accepted  it  purer,  happier,  more 
unselfish  and  useful,  yet  it  was  working  these 
wonders  among  a  people  more  useless,  selfish, 
weak,  superficial,  and  cruel  than  any  with 
whom  we  have  been  hitherto  familiar.  This 
being  so  it  is  foolish  to  expect  that  an  ignorant 
people  of  naturally  weak,  shallow  character 
and  low  standard  of  morality  would  not  suffer 
from  the  sudden  presentation  by  the  Uganda 
Railway  of  Coast,  Indian,  and  European  civili- 
sation. 

They  have  suffered  terribly,  for  the  storm  of 


Mental  Alertness  201 


temptation  has  been  most  severe ;  and  one 
of  the  saddest  features  of  the  case  is,  that  at 
the  very  moment  when  pastors  and  people  need 
to  be  drawn  very  closely  together,  to  understand 
each  other,  and  learn  to  grapple  with  perhaps 
the  one  great  crisis  in  the  nation's  religious 
history,  the  new  ideas  of  housing  have  taken 
such  a  hold  upon  European  and  native,  as  to 
prevent  their  being  thrown  together  as  they 
were  a  few  years  ago,  when  privacy  was  at  a 
discount  and  fellowship  all  important. 

The  alertness  of  the  native  mind,  but  also  its 
superficiality,  has  made  them  jump  at  the  con- 
crete parts  of  the  missionary's  teaching  upon 
the  necessity  for  bettering  their  social  condition ; 
and  they  have  to  a  large  extent  given  them- 
selves up  to  the  questions  of  building,  banking, 
sleeping,  cooking,  clothing,  and  eating  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  development  of  moral  prin- 
ciple. 

Professedly  Christian  men  openly  speak  about 
the  infidelity  of  their  professedly  Christian 
wives,  declaring  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  faithfulness  among  the  women  of  their 
country :  we  know  there  is  much  faithlessness 
amongst  the  men,  and  sleeping  sickness  is  not 
the  only  scourge  responsible  for  decimating  the 
kingdom — the  kingdom  which  at  one  time  had  a 
population  of  nearly  two  millions,  but  to-day  is 


202    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

little  more  than  six  hundred  thousand,  the 
population  of  Liverpool.  Venereal  disease  is 
working  sad  havoc  everywhere,  so  much  so 
that  a  special  commission  has  been  appointed 
to  deal  with  the  matter. 

It  is  not  very  difficult  to  get  a  wrong  and 
exaggerated  view  of  such  a  subject,  and  such 
it  seems  to  me  was  presented  to  the  United 
Services  Medical  Society,  and  reported  in  the 
Lancet  of  October,  1908. 

In  his  paper  Colonel  Lamkin  states  that  in 
some  districts  as  many  as  90  per  cent,  suffer 
from  Specific  Disease;  and  that  it  produces 
infant  mortality  to  the  extent  of  50  or  60  per 
cent. 

The  first  place  in  the  cause  of  the  epidemic 
is  attributed  to  the  interference  by  Christian 
teaching  and  teachers  with  the  tribal  laws  and 
customs  of  the  people. 

On  both  these  points  the  Drs.  Cook,  who 
know  all  there  is  to  know  about  Uganda  and  its 
people,  traverse  the  Colonel's  paper ;  and  show 
very  conclusively  that  the  ravages  of  the  disease 
have  not  affected  more  than  19*4  per  cent,  in 
the  most  populous  district ;  whilst  on  the  second 
head  they,  insist  on  the  word  civilisation  rather 
than  Christianity  as  the  potent  cause  of  the 
trouble. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  emphasise  here 


Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  203 


my  strong  belief  in  the  power  of  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  not  to  create  such  licence  as  is 
responsible  for  the  terrible  evils  mentioned 
above,  but  to  guide  and  regulate  the  liberty, 
all  too  hastily  given  to  the  Baganda,  into  right 
and  useful  channels. 

This  emphasis  cannot  be  better  illustrated 
than  by  the  words  of  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston,  who 
not  long  ago  was  Commissioner  in  Uganda  : — 

"  If  the  Baganda  are  to  be  saved  from  dying 
out  as  a  race — and  I  cannot  but  believe  and 
hope  they  will — it  will  be  entirely  through  the 
introduction  of  Christianity  and  the  teaching  of 
the  missionaries,  both  Roman  and  Anglican. 
The  introduction  of  monogamy  as  a  universally 
recognised  principle  now  amongst  all  people  who 
desire  to  conform  to  mission  teaching  may  be 
the  salvation  of  Uganda,  strange  to  say.  The 
people  through  this  teaching  are  now  becoming 
ashamed  of  marrying  girls  who  have  led  a  bad 
life  before  marriage.  The  appreciation  of  female 
chastity  is  distinctly  rising,  while  at  the  same 
time  young  men  find  debauchery  no  longer 
fashionable,  and  endeavour  to  marry  early  and 
become  the  fathers  of  families.  If  ever  a  race 
needed  a  Puritan  revival  to  save  it  from  ex- 
tinction it  is  the  Baganda,  and  if  ever  Christian 
missions  did  positive  and  unqualified  good 
among  a  negro  race  this  good  has  been  accom- 

11 


204  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

plished  in  Uganda,  where  their  teaching  has 
turned  the  current  of  the  more  intelligent 
people's  thoughts  towards  the  physical  advan- 
tages of  chastity  "  ("  The  Uganda  Protectorate," 
p.  64.2). 

Surely  we  have  at  once  in  this  quotation 
any  answer  necessary  to  Colonel  Lamkin's  in- 
dictment of  missionary  work,  and  also  the 
only  hope  for  the  future.  God  grant  that 
the  "  Puritan  revival "  may  not  be  long 
delayed  ! 

I  am  also  firmly  i3onvinced  that  the  present 
stagnation  in  the  religious  life  of  the  people  of 
Uganda  is  connected  with  the  tendency  to  side- 
track the  Church  and  its  agents  along  the  line 
of  secular  education. 

There  is  an  insatiable  desire  for  knowledge  on 
the  part  of  the  Baganda,  and  they  are  people 
of  undoubted  intelligence,  far  more  highly  de- 
veloped than  that  of  the  surrounding  tribes ; 
and  I  recognise  the  need  for  such  education  as 
will  lead  to  the  useful  occupation  of  minds  and 
bodies  of  such  a  people  no  longer  given  over  to 
constant  warfare.  Up  to  a  certain  point  the 
C.M.S.  has  given  such  education ;  for  all  its  work 
in  Uganda,  whilst  primarily  evangelistic,  has  of 
necessity  been  educational  of  a  very  practical 
character ;  so  much  so,  that  not  only  has  every 
candidate  for  baptism  learned  to  read,  but  I  dare 


Education  and  Evangelization  207 


to  say  that  had  there  been  no  church  on  the  hill 
there  would  have  been  no  factory  in  the  valley. 

In  its  High  School  at  Mengo  it  has  also 
sought  to  meet  on  its  own  terms  what  seems 
to  me  any  need  for  higher  education ;  since  its 
teaching  is  of  such  a  character  that,  although 
it  is  carried  on  amongst  youths  who  have  been 
baptized,  it  is  definitely  evangelistic.  From 
beginning  to  end  it  is  an  effort  to  remove  young 
chiefs,  and  the  sons  of  chiefs,  from  immoral 
surroundings,  and  to  strengthen  their  mental 
and  moral  faculties  through  the  influence  of 
Gospel  teaching. 

The  tendency  of  the  times,  however,  is  to 
demand  from  the  missions  educational  work 
not  primarily  evangelistic,  but  such  as  will 
supply  the  requisite  number  of  clerks,  cooks, 
and  carpenters. 

There  is  no  reason  why  missionary  teachers 
should  not  be  used  to  give  such  training  to  the 
Baganda  if  they  or  the  Administration  pay  for 
it,  and  thus  allow  for  the  provision  of  other 
missionaries  to  do  the  work  for  which  the 
Missionary  Societies  exist,  and  for  which  vast 
districts  with  far  greater  populations  than 
Uganda  are  waiting.  But  there  seems  every 
reason  why  the  C.M.S.  should  not  give  way 
to  the  popular  cry,  and  set  aside  laity  and 
clergy  provided  for  out  of   funds  gathered  for 


2o8   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

evangelistic  purposes,  to  build  up  a  general 
elementary  education  system  throughout  the 
country,  or  a  higher  educational  system 
amongst  youths  already  baptized,  confirmed, 
and  possessed  of  as  practical,  workaday  an 
education  as  the  average  youth  in  England, 
and  who  may  never  give  the  Church's  need 
one  iota  in  return. 

This  latter  system  appears  to  be  the  trend  and 
danger  of  one  mission  school  recently  begun 
in  the  country,  and  I  sincerely  trust  that  the 
idea  will  not  grow;  for  the  condition  of 
Uganda  is  not  analogous  to  that  of  India, 
where  educational  work  is  often  the  only 
means  of  reaching  a  large  population  with  the 
principles  of  the  Gospel. 

The  freedom  of  choice  in  their  life's  work 
offered  to  the  students  of  such  a  school  is  un- 
doubtedly ideal ;  but  the  payment  of  teachers 
ought  not  to  fall  upon  missionary  funds,  i.e., 
upon  those  who  have  not  as  good  educational 
advantages  for  their  own  boys,  and  who  are 
really  poorer  than  the  Baganda  whose  teachers 
they  are  asked  to  pay. 

The  work  of  the  Mengo  High  School,  already 
referred  to,  if  strengthened  and  developed  so 
that  all  who  wish  to  pay  for  the  teaching,  and 
the  teacher,  might  send  their  sons  and  daughters 
(there  are  a  number  of  poor  lads  being  paid 


Work  of  Church  and  State  209 

for  by  the  native  Church,  chiefs,  and  friends 
at  home — and  this  might  be  extended),  and 
with  a  special  department  with  higher  teach- 
ing as  preparation  for  definite  missionary 
and  ministerial  work,  is,  with  a  theological 
college  for  teachers  and  clergy,  all  the  edu- 
cation work  the  Church  need  trouble  about. 
More  than  this  will  at  present  hamper  mission- 
ary extension,  and  in  time  lead  to  difficulties 
such  as  are  now  threatening  the  Church  at 
home,  for  history  has  a  way  of  repeating 
itself. 

Let  it  not  be  thought  that  I  deprecate  the 
value  of  true  education ;  but  I  do  not  wish 
the  good  to  take  the  place  of  the  best,  and 
therefore  say,  let  the  State  authorities  take 
up  at  once  their  own  responsibilities,  and  in 
the  name  of  God's  only-begotten  Son,  who 
has  given  us  our  marching  orders,  let  the 
Church  do  its  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel; 
for  that,  and  that  alone,  was  the  cause  of 
success  in  Uganda. 

Another  element  of  danger  to  the  Church 
of  Uganda,  and  reason  for  the  present  colour 
feeling,  lukewarmness,  and  general  down-grade 
tendency  manifested  by  many  Christians,  is 
the  supposed  lack  of  sympathy  and  confidence 
shown  towards  them  by  their  white  teachers. 

I  need  not  emphasise   the  word  supposed; 


2IO  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

that  will  be  taken  for  granted  by  all  who 
have  come  into  touch  with  Uganda  missionaries ; 
but  as  in  a  former  chapter  I  expressed  my  firm 
conviction  that  with  very  little  British  help  the 
people  of  Uganda  and  surrounding  kingdoms 
might  be  made  to  cheaply  govern  themselves, 
with  results  as  good,  if  not  better  than  those 
now  forthcoming,  so  here  I  declare  that  I  feel 
very  strongly  the  time  has  come  (if  the  oppor- 
tunity has  not  already  passed  away)  to  give 
the  native  Christian  of  Uganda  a  good  deal 
more  say  in  the  management  of  his  own 
Church  affairs. 

Circumstances  make  the  man,  and  since  God 
has  allowed  the  circumstances  of  marvellous 
missionary  success,  and  the  formation  of  a 
native  Church,  I  cannot  help  but  think  He 
has,  somewhere  in  Uganda,  the  native  leaders 
necessary  for  such  a  Church  if  only  they  were 
allowed  to  lead. 

The  Church,  like  the  Government,  will  suffer 
if  the  white  man  has  a  wrong  idea  as  to  the 
purpose  of  his  presence  in  the  country.  Per- 
manence, whilst  the  first  thought  with  regard 
to  his  work,  should  be  the  very  last  thought 
in  the  missionary's  mind  with  regard  to  him- 
self, and  woe  betide  the  Church,  goodbye  to 
all  native  development,  where  the  missionary, 
because  of  a  mistaken  idea  of  native  ability 


Native  Responsibility  211 


or  the  danger  of  native  responsibility,  undue 
attachment  to  his  own  particular  work,  lan- 
guage limitation,  or  the  circumstances  of 
married  family  life,  settles  down  to  the 
"  country  rector "  sort  of  life,  where  the  work 
could  be  done  as  well  if  not  better  by  a  native 
pastor. 

"  Failure,"  says  some  one, — "  utter  failure." 
Failure,  yes,  that  is  to  be  expected  again  and 
again,  for  by  failure  the  Baganda  will  learn  ; 
but  not  "utter  failure,"  for  all  the  evidence 
goes  to  prove  that  where  the  Muganda  has  been 
trusted  with  responsibility,  he  has  done  extra- 
ordinarily well,  but  that  where  he  has  been 
a  factotum  to  the  white  man  he  has  been  more 
or  less  a  failure. 

Happy  the  day  for  Uganda  Christianity 
when  the  white  men  give  all  pastoral  work 
into  the  hands  of  natives  organised  and  directed 
for  some  years  to  come  by  an  itinerant  over- 
pastor  or  archdeacon.  Such  a  move  would 
at  once  set  free  some  experienced  clergy  and 
laymen  to  push  out  as  pioneers  to  untouched 
countries,  and  would  hasten  the  establishment 
of  a  self-supporting  and  self-governing  Church, 
as  well  as  kill  the  present  native  attitude  of 
"Why  need  I  worry,  work,  pay,  or  be  present? 
— the  white  man  is  responsible  for  everything." 

These  problems  have  long  been  in  the  mind 


212   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

of  Uganda's  Bishop,  Dr.  Tucker,  and  he  has 
striven  incessantly  for  years  to  form  a  native 
Church  with  a  constitution  which  places  the 
native  in  such  a  position  that  he  may  one  day 
become  the  head  of  his  own  branch  of  the 
Anglican  Communion. 

This  constitution,  accepted  by  native  and 
European,  is  now  in  operation,  and  from  it  we 
may  expect  great  things,  since  it  seeks  to 
develop  independence,  place  responsibility  upon 
the  right  shoulders,  and  make  the  Church  self- 
supporting  and  self-extending. 

In  the  matter  of  self-support  the  Baganda 
have  in  the  past  nobly  responded  in  order  to 
meet  every  need ;  but  I  believe  I  am  right  in 
saying  that  at  the  present  moment  the  financial 
condition  of  the  Church  is  something  worse 
than  "from  hand  to  mouth." 

The  innumerable  calls  for  teachers,  and  the 
magnificent  response,  have  been  met  by  native 
funds  ;  but  the  demands  of  the  speedy  growth 
and  magnitude  of  the  work  have  prevented 
those  in  authority  from  giving  that  attention 
to  the  organisation  and  development  of  the 
material  side  which  the  Church  now  requires. 
And  at  the  very  moment  when  we  are  thinking 
of  rehgious  independence  for  the  Baganda, 
we  are  brought  up  somewhat  sharply  by  the 
facts  that   the  coffers   are   empty;   with  the 


Hope  for  the  Future  213 

exception  of  one  in  Toro,  there  is  no  per- 
manent church  building  in  the  country;  and 
the  crisis  of  the  nation  and  the  Church  is  upon 
us  through  the  mental,  moral,  social,  and 
spiritual  balance  of  the  people  having  been 
upset  by  the  too  sudden  presentation  by  the 
Uganda  Railway  of  the  material  side  of  civili- 
sation. 

It  will  take  some  time  to  readjust  their  point 
of  vision ;  and  in  the  meantime,  God  grant 
that  their  attention  may  not  be  wholly  taken 
up  with  cycles,  watches,  cutlery,  clothing,  houses, 
and  Company  shares  ! 

A  dull  picture,  probably  :  but  I  am  wholly 
optimistic  with  regard  to  the  power  of  the 
Gospel.  I  am  also  perfectly  certain  that  the 
Christianity  which  withstood  the  persecutions 
of  King  Mwanga  will  live  through  the  present 
critical  stage  of  transition,  and  will  emerge 
numerically  smaller,  no  doubt,  but  brighter, 
stronger,  and  more  real  than  ever  before. 

I  have  not  yet  seen  Bishop  Tucker's  book 
recounting  his  past  eighteen  years'  experience, 
but  I  have  no  doubt  he  there  refers  at  length 
to  the  constitution  of  the  Church  in  Uganda, 
so  I  need  not  speak  further  of  it  here.  We  are 
part  of  the  English  Church,  so  of  course  our 
services  are  the  same  ;  but  I  have  often  been 
asked  about  the  nature  of  the  elements  used  in 


214  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion ;  and 
would  explain  that  red  wine  is  used  in  the 
cathedral  church,  and  wherever  else  men  have 
it ;  otherwise  a  native  substitute  is  used.  Per- 
sonally I  thinji  this  diversity  of  use  a  great  pity, 
and  wish  the  national  drink  of  Uganda  could  be 
sanctioned;  for  as  I  do  not  believe  that  the 
efficacy  of  that  blessed  sacrament  depends  upon 
the  time  of  its  celebration,  so  I  think  it  very 
unwise  to  convey  to  a  nation's  mind  the  idea 
that  its  efficacy  depends  upon  the  colour  of 
the  material  in  the  cup,  and  so  force  them 
to  begin  an  import  which  will  not  eventually 
be  confined  to  Church  use. 

That  the  material  itself  is  not  the  important 
factor  may  be  argued  from  the  diverse  use  in 
the  English  Church  at  home.  In  one  Church 
there  may  be  used  an  insipid  mixture  of  coloured 
sugar  and  water,  and  in  another  a  cheap 
poisonous  port,  neither  of  which  ever  saw  a 
grape ;  so  I  cannot  think  that  a  universal  use 
in  the  Church  of  Uganda  of  the  unfermented 
native  wine — a  drink  made  from  bananas — 
would  be  at  all  wrong  or  inexpedient. 

"The  best  and  purest  Wheat  Bread  that 
conveniently  may  be  gotten"  is  used  at  the 
capital  and  wherever  else  flour  is  procurable, 
and  a  person  can  bake  it ;  but  there  are  times 
when  it  is  not  procurable,  and  I  cannot  think 


church  Uses  and  DiscipHne  215 

that  under  such  circumstances  the  injunction 
"that  all  things  be  done  to  edifying"  is  more 
reasonably  carried  out  by  the  use  of  a 
questionable  biscuit  than  by  the  use  of  "such 
(food)  as  is  usual  to  be  eaten,"  viz.,  a  baked 
plantain. 

Is  this  not  an  occasion  when,  according  to 
Article  34,  "  Tradition  .  .  .  may  be  changed 
according  to  the  diversities  of  countries,  times, 
and  men's  manners  "  ? 

Another  common  question  refers  to  dis- 
cipline :  "  How  do  you  deal  with  professing 
Christians  who  continue  to  live  in  flagrant 
sin?" 

At  one  time  we  dealt  with  them  by  exhorta- 
tion and  expostulation,  and  when  these  failed 
they  were  excommunicated.  But  now  such  a 
thing  is  almost  impossible,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  we  have  no  working  agreement  with  the 
Roman  Catholics,  who  will  receive  those  who 
go  over  from  the  Anglican  Church.  In  my 
first  district  there  was  a  chief  who  had  led 
a  clean  and  good  life  until  he  was  baptized 
into  our  branch  of  the  Church.  Then  he  began 
to  go  back,  and  became,  what  he  had  probably 
been  before  preparing  for  baptism,  one  of  the 
biggest  rascals  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to  meet. 
I  did  my  best  to  help  him,  and  got  kindly 
natives  to  deal  with  him,  but  all  to  no  purpose ; 


2i6    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

so  I  warned  him  that  there  was  nothing  left 
but  excommunication.  His  case  was  to  come 
before  the  Central  Church  Council  at  Mengo 
on  a  certain  Saturday,  and  he  left  his  country 
place  a  day  or  two  before  to  go  up  to  the 
capital.  On  the  day  when  he  ought  to  have 
appeared  before  the  Church  Council  to  show 
reason  why  he  should  not  be  publicly  excom- 
municated he  was  parading  the  capital  laden 
with  rosaries,  medallions,  and  crucifixes,  declar- 
ing that  he  had  found  a  better  religion  than 
ours,  having  become  a  Mufalasa,  i.e.,  a  French- 
man. Although  leading  a  wretchedly  bad  life, 
he  had  been  received  into  the  Roman  Cathohc 
Church — a  thing  which  could  not  have  happened 
had  there  been  a  working  agreement  between 
us  to  deal  with  such  cases. 

The  feeling  that  we  should  be  driving  them 
to  the  other  side,  and  probably  the  fear  to  lose 
some  of  those  in  authority,  is  responsible  to 
some  extent  for  the  general  weakening  of 
Church  authority  consequent  upon  the  disuse 
of  excommunication. 

The  present  Bishop  of  Uganda,  with  the 
assistance  of  men  like  Gordon,  Walker,  Pil- 
kington,  Baskerville,  and  others,  has  done 
a  glorious  work,  which  is  now  at  the  parting 
of  the  ways ;  and  much  depends  upon  the 
Church's  rulers  as  to  what  the  future  will  be. 


Need  for  a  New  Diocese  217 


The  size  of  the  diocese  is  detrimental  to  real 
progress,  for  it  is  impossible  to  give  it  adequate 
supervision,  and  to  keep  in  close  touch  with 
and  supply  the  varying  needs  which  require 
unwavering  continuity  of  purpose. 

An  Executive  Committee  does  not  meet  the 
need,  for  it  is  no  part  of  the  native  Church; 
and  members,  because  of  the  pressing  needs 
of  their  own  districts,  or  because  they  are 
totally  ignorant  of  the  needs  and  exigences 
of  work  in  other  parts,  are  not  always  able 
to  give  that  adequate  consideration  necessary 
to  develop  a  work  which  requires  chiefly 
tenacious  continuity  of  purpose. 

The  Bishop,  as  head  of  the  Church,  is  the  one 
to  give  close  attention  to  the  development  of 
its  constitution,  with  its  ideas  of  self-govern- 
ment, self-support,  extension,  &c.,  and  if  the 
present  or  future  Bishop  of  Uganda  is  to  do 
this,  his  work  must  be  considerably  minimised 
by  division  and  the  formation  of  another 
diocese  between  Uganda  and  Mombasa. 

The  new  diocese  should  extend  from  Nassa 
to  Abyssinia,  and  from  Usoga  to  the  Kikuya 
Escarpment,  and  would  contain  more  than 
six  millions  of  inhabitants  whose  language  and 
mode  of  living  mark  them  off  very  definitely 
from  the  peoples  of  Uganda,  Usoga,  Unyoro, 
and  Toro. 


2i8   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


Mount  Elgon  district  would  be  the  very- 
centre  of  such  a  diocese ;  therefore  strengthen 
and  develop  the  work  at  that  centre — a  dis- 
tributing base  convenient  in  every  way. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THROUGH  USOGA 


A  journey  eastward — Kyagwe — Ham  Mukasa — A  visit  to 
England — Samwili  Kangawo — Perfect  gentleman — Way- 
side camps — A  view  of  Lake  Victoria  and  Usoga — Eipon 
Falls — Whence  the  Nile  springs — A  dangerous  ferry — 
A  unique  welcome — Jinja  and  its  possibilities — From  Lake 
Victoria  to  Egypt — Agriculture — Road-making — A  good 
centre — Clever  thieves — Slow  work — Christian  revenge — 
Famine — Hut -tax  returns— Value  of  a  paramount  chief. 


UR  journey  must  be  continued  ;  and  having 


seen  what  there  is  to  see  in  Uganda, 
and  having  ascertained  that  Masaba  is  a 
country  situate  on  the  slopes  of  the  extinct 
volcano,  Mount  Elgon,  our  next  businesss  was 
to  get  there. 

It  might  have  been  reached  direct  from  Port 
Florence,  the  terminus  of  the  Uganda  Railway, 
by  marching  north  through  the  part  of 
Kavirondo  occupied  by  Nilotic  people,  and 
on  through  the  Bantu  people  at  Mumia's.  This 
journey  in  itself  would  be  a  revelation  and 


224  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

education  to  many ;  but  having  crossed  the 
Lake  Victoria,  I  prefer  to  take  you  from 
Namirembi,  directly  east,  vid  the  birthplace 
of  the  river  Nile,  through  the  country  of 
Bishop  Hannington's  martyrdom,  the  scene 
of  sleeping-sickness  ravages,  and  on  into 
regions  until  this  last  year  or  two  unknown. 

After  waiting  for  loads  long  delayed  on 
the  railway,  then  again  for  porters  to  carry 
them,  we  set  off  through  Kyagwe,  the  eastern 
district  of  Uganda,  a  most  beautiful  country 
with  the  road  running  through  well-tended 
banana  gardens  and  ideal  tropical  forests. 

The  native  head  of  this  district  is  Ham 
Mukasa,  the  intelligent  Muganda  who  accom- 
panied the  Katikiro,  or  Prime  Minister,  to 
England  for  the  Coronation  of  King  Edward. 
No  traveller  to  Uganda  should  miss  the 
opportunity  of  coming  into  touch  with  this 
chief,  or  his  friend  Samwili  (Samuel)  Kangawo, 
chief  of  the  district  Bulemezi,  north  of  Mengo. 
He  will  be  astonished  to  find  such  intelligence, 
strong  character,  perfect  gentlemanliness,  real 
goodness,  and  deep  religious  feeling,  without 
a  suspicion  of  cant.  He  will  also  learn,  on 
passing  through  Kyagwe,  that  its  chief  is 
practical  in  his  administration,  stern  in  the 
suppression  of  lawlessness,  and  just  yet 
merciful  to  offenders. 


A  Native  Gentleman  225 


As  we  approach  his  place  we  are  met  by- 
runners  who  give  us  their  chief's  greetings, 
and  soon  we  meet  the  gentleman  himself ; 
for  he  has  ridden  out  some  distance  on  his 
cycle  to  welcome  us,  and,  with  his  retinue, 
he  escorts  us  to  his  house  for  rest  and  refresh- 
ment. 

English  chairs,  or  chairs  made  in  Uganda 
from  an  English  pattern,  are  provided  for  the 
guests,  and  tea  is  served  in  proper  style,  during 
which  the  wife  and  child  of  our  host  are 
presented  to  us,  and  crowds  of  natives 
assemble  to  do  honour  to  their  chiefs  guests. 

Kindness,  tact,  and  courtesy  seem  charac- 
teristic of  this  man,  and  as  an  illustration 
let  me  say  how  well  I  remember  his  staying 
in  my  camp  until  very  late  at  night  in  order 
to  help  mend  a  bicycle  that  had  met  with 
an  accident  on  the  way. 

Our  pleasant  visit  to  this  chief  was  all  too 
short ;  we  found  him  interested  in  the  spiritual 
and  social  welfare  of  his  people,  keenly  anxious 
to  help  the  poorest  person  in  his  district,  and 
not  forgetful  of  the  welfare  of  his  guests  and 
their  porters.  Messengers  were  sent  off  in 
front  of  us,  to  warn  the  people  along  the 
road  of  our  approach,  and  requesting  them 
to  provide  food  for  the  porters,  for  which 
they  would  be  paid. 

12 


2  26   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

We  had  three  days'  march  after  leaving 
Ham  Mukasa  before  we  reached  the  Nile ; 
and  twice  we  slept  in  the  camping-places 
prepared  for  the  use  of  travellers.  As  a  rule 
these  places  are  fenced  off  in  order  to  provide 
some  protection  against  thieves  and  wild  beasts. 
There  is  a  place  for  the  European's  tent  to 
be  pitched,  a  rest-house  for  his  men,  and  some- 
times a  little  thatched  place  in  which  the 
traveller  may  sit  during  the  heat  of  the  day — 
an  undoubted  boon,  but,  owing  to  the  preva- 
lence of  the  tick,  responsible  for  conveying 
Spirillum  fever,  they  have  become  veritable 
death-traps. 

Pushing  on  still  eastward,  we  reach  Nyenga, 
and  get  an  exquisite  glimpse  of  Lake  Victoria, 
backed  by  thickly  wooded  Usoga.  From  here 
it  is  a  rapid  descent  to  the  lakeside  and 
more  particularly  to  the  interesting  spot 
where  the  water  dashes  over  the  Ripon  Falls 
to  form  the  Nile. 

Undoubtedly  the  traveller  will  be  somewhat 
disappointed  if  he  expects  to  see  the  water 
falling  from  a  great  height,  but  he  will  not 
be  disappointed  in  the  amount  rushing  over. 
The  prettiness  of  the  scene  immediately  near 
the  Falls  has  been  recently  considerably  modi- 
fied ;  for  the  dread  scourge  of  sleeping  sickness 
has  made  it  imperative  to  cut  down  all  trees 


A  Dangerous  Ferry  227 

and  bushes  that  lined  the  banks  of  the 
stream. 

In  the  pool  above  the  Falls  crocodiles  and 
hippopotami  abound,  and  since  these  are  a 
menace  to  the  users  of  the  public  ferry  between 
Uganda  and  Usoga,  it  is  allowable  to  shoot 
them  without  having  procured  a  licence.  No 
doubt  the  powers  that  be  realised  that  the 
ferry,  crossing  as  it  did,  until  quite  recently, 
very  near  to  the  Falls  and  without  any  pro- 
tection in  bad  weather,  and  carried  on  by 
means  of  the  laced  native  canoe  from  which 
the  keel-board  has  been  known  to  fall  when 
crossing,  was  danger  enough  to  the  traveller. 
Perhaps  the  time  is  not  very  far  distant  when 
not  only  will  the  crocs  and  hippos  be  cleared 
from  Napoleon  Gulf,  but  a  small  oil  launch 
will  run  from  shore  to  shore;  and  even  now 
the  spicy  feeling  of  possibly  drifting  over  the 
Falls  might  be  taken  away  by  drawing  a  wire 
cable  from  Uganda  to  Usoga. 

We  must  deal,  however,  with  things  as  they 
are,  and  sit  down  on  the  Lake  shore  until 
a  few  canoes  have  been  collected  together. 
With  gentle  persuasion  and  much  force  the 
mule  is  pushed  and  lifted  into  one,  a  milch 
cow  into  another,  the  loads  into  another,  and 
ourselves  into  a  fourth.  The  native  porters, 
firmly  believing    they  will  be  safer  with  a 


22  8   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


European,  make  a  rush  for  our  boat,  with 
the  result  that  we  are  all  but  swamped,  and 
another  half -hour  is  wasted  in  adjusting, 
shouting,  and  threatening  before  we  can  leave 
the  shore  of  Uganda. 

One  notable  crossing  I  made  recently  at 
this  ferry  was  with  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Tucker, 
Bishop  of  Uganda,  who  was  leaving.  Uganda 
to  visit  the  vast  regions  forming  the  eastern 
portion  of  his  diocese.  He  was  expected  at 
Jinja  to  confirm  the  many  candidates,  young 
and  old,  who  had  been  prepared  by  the  Rev. 
T.  R.  Buckley,  B.A.  L.L.B.,  now  Archdeacon 
of  Usoga ;  and  remembering  how  short  a 
time  it  is  since  Bishop  Hannington  was 
murdered  in  this  very  district,  the  reception 
accorded  to  his  successor  seemed  nothing 
short  of  wonderful.  As  our  canoes  approached 
the  shore  of  Usoga,  we  could  see  Buckley 
with  his  school  lads,  the  sons  of  chiefs,  and 
practically  all  the  chiefs  of  the  country  waiting 
to  welcome  their  Bishop  (even  the  old  man 
Luba,  who  had  killed  Hannington,  though 
dying,  was  represented),  and  with  the  others 
helped  to  send  up  a  good  imitation  of  a 
British  "  Hip,  hip,  hurrah  ! "  when  the  Bishop 
stepped  out  of  his  canoe. 

It  seemed  hardly  credible  that  this  could 
be  the  country  of  Usoga,  and  these  its  people. 


229 


\ 


Good  Work  and  Workers  231 


Only  a  short  time  ago  it  was  subject  to  the 
tyrannical  rule  of  Uganda,  whose  meanest 
peasant  despised  the  Usoga  people,  and  looked 
upon  them  as  lawful  game,  yet  here  were 
men  and  women  escorting  us  from  the  ferry 
to  the  Mission  station,  whose  faces  had  quite 
lost  the  crafty,  hunted,  and  fearful  look  so 
often  seen  on  the  downtrodden  African ; 
whilst  in  its  place  could  be  detected  calm 
strength  and  dignity,  thanks  to  the  work  of 
such  Government  officers  as  the  two  Grants, 
Boyle,  and  Cubitt,  and  missionaries  like 
Buckley,  Wilson,  and  Skeens.  "The  persever- 
ing, patient,  quiet  life  of  Buckley,  living  there 
among  the  natives  in  his  £30  mud-house,  has 
done  more  for  us  fellows  and  for  the  country 
than  any  outsider  can  ever  know,"  said  a 
Government  officer  to  me ;  and  to  see  the 
native  chiefs  around  him,  and  their  attitude 
to  each  other  on  that  day  of  the  Bishop's 
arrival,  enabled  me  to  understand  what  the 
officer  meant. 

As  we  looked  from  chief  to  chief  we  soon 
realised  that  the  sleeping  sickness  had  been  no 
respecter  of  persons ;  this  one  and  that  one 
well  known  to  us  had  passed  away,  and  vast 
districts  through  which  the  Bishop  and  I  had 
travelled  years  before,  and  found  teeming  with 
population,  are  now  as  howling  wildernesses. 


232   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

Jinja  is  an  important  place,  and  likely  to 
become  more  so,  for  it  is  the  Government 
headquarters  for  the  Central  Province  of  the 
Uganda  Protectorate.  It  is  healthily  and 
beautifully  situated,  overlooking  the  Ripon 
Falls  and  the  Napoleon  Gulf.  The  Uganda 
Railway  has  recently  completed  a  very  good 
pier,  along  the  aide  of  which  the  Lake  steamers 
are  berthed  when  they  call  each  week  to 
take  off  the  large  exports  of  ivory,  hides, 
skins,  ground  nuts,  and  pepper. 

There  is  very  little  doubt  but  that  soon  we 
shall  have  here  a  large  power  station,  certainly 
to  supply  all  local  needs,  and,  let  us  hope,  to 
be  used  to  open  out  the  countries  lying  east 
between  Jinja  and  Kisumu. 

It  is  now  possible  to  travel  from  Jinja 
down  the  Nile  to  Unyoro  and  on  to  Egypt. 
This  route  was  followed  by  the  Right  Hon. 
Winston  Churchill  on  his  recent  tour  through 
East  Africa  and  Uganda.  The  Government 
propose  to  run  a  railway  from  Jinja  to 
Kakindu,  a  place  on  the  Nile  about  forty 
miles  north,  where  a  small  steamer  will  meet 
passengers  and  take  them  on  through  Lake 
Kyoga  to  Unyoro.  A  survey  party  has  also 
actually  started  to  map  out  a  line  from  the 
Nile  through  Masindi  in  Unyoro  to  Butiaba 
on  Lake  Albert  Edward,  thus  bringing  Jinja 


Jinja  233 

into  direct  communication  with  the  Congo 
Free  State. 

Usoga  has  a  far  richer  soil  than  Uganda, 
and  even  now  the  natives  are  experimenting 
with  cotton-growing  ;  but  unfortunately  there 
is  no  one  to  buy  it  from  them  after  it  is 
grown.  Perhaps  soon  we  shall  see  gins  and 
baling  presses  here  at  Jinja,  with  such  water- 
power  at  hand,  and  the  steamer  only  a  few  yards 
off  ready  to  receive  shipments  for  Europe. 

A  beginning  has  been  made  with  rubber-tree 
planting,  but-  already  two  planters  have  died 
from  blackwater  fever;  and  men  taking  up 
such  work  should  never  live  and  work  alone, 
for  by  working  in  pairs  it  might  be  possible 
to  arrange  for  change  and  rest  when  necessary, 
instead  of  having  to  succumb  as  much  to  worry 
and  work  as  to  fever. 

The  position  of  Jinja  will  always  prevent  its 
becoming  a  great  native  centre  on  account  of 
the  food  difficulty ;  and  since  we  must  leave,  let 
us  push  on  eastward  to  Iganga,  the  natural 
capital  of  the  country,  where  once  there  was 
a  Government  Boma  and  where  again,  I  have 
little  doubt,  will  be  set  up  the  headquarters  of 
native  administration.  Iganga  is  only  eight 
miles  from  the  Lake ;  it  is  very  central,  thickly 
populated,  has  a  good  food  supply,  and  from 
it  native-made  roads  running  in  all  directions. 


2  34  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

Nowhere  in  the  Uganda  Protectorate  has 
there  been  a  greater  waste  of  native  labour 
than  on  the  road  running  east  from  Jinja 
through  Iganga.  A  necessary  waste,  maybe, 
under  the  circumstances,  but  a  waste  never- 
theless, and  it  must  be  gratifying  to  native 
and  European  to  know  that  the  Government 
intend  to  spend  £2,000  this  year  on  a  properly 
made  road. 

Unfortunately,  the  sleeping  sickness  seems 
specially  busy  in  this  centre,  and  the  Govern- 
ment has  recently  opened  a  camp  for  patients. 
The  C.M.S.  agents  have  done  a  good  deal  of 
work  amongst  the  sufferers,  but  since  little 
relief  and  no  cure  is  possible  the  work  is 
specially  difficult. 

The  C.M.S.  has  had  a  station  here  for  some 
years,  and  a  wonderful  work  has  been  done 
among  a  people  despised  by  the  Baganda  and 
notorious  for  many  evil  practices. 

The  Baganda  are  clever  thieves,  but  are  not 
to  be  compared  with  the  Basoga. 

Some  years  ago,  before  the  Uganda  Railway 
was  built,  when  about  to  travel  down  country 
I  had  occasion  to  encamp  for  some  days  in 
Usoga  for  the  purpose  of  buying  food  for  my 
porters.  I  knew  the  people  were  given  to 
stealing,  for  they  had  actually  taken  the  rifles 
from  some  of  the  Indian  soldiers  who  were 


Clever  Thieves  235 


sent  up  to  Uganda  after  the  Soudanese  re- 
bellion, but  as  there  was  nothing  of  great 
value  in  my  camp  I  hoped  we  should  be 
unmolested. 

All  went  well  until  the  food  supply  was  com- 
plete and  preparations  made  for  an  early  start. 
Each  porter  retired  to  rest  with  his  bag  of  meal 
under  his  head,  but  before  morning  every 
vestige  of  food  had  been  taken  and  my  tent 
rifled.  I  begged  the  men  not  to  make  an  out- 
cry, but  to  rest  until  the  morning  and  then  go 
on  with  the  packing  and  preparation  for  the 
march  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  I  was  busy 
at  breakfast  when  a  princess  and  acting  chief 
appeared  and  commiserated  me  on  my  losses ; 
I  was  sure  the  ruse  was  working  and  that  we 
had  found  the  thieves,  for  how  otherwise  could 
they  know  of  the  matter  ?  And  you  can  imagine 
their  consternation  when,  instead  of  allowing 
them  to  leave  my  camp  immediately  after  con- 
doling with  me,  I  declared  my  intention  of 
taking  them  on  to  the  nearest  Government 
officer.  For  very  shame  they  dared  not  bring 
back  the  meal  and  cloth  stolen,  but  they 
immediately  offered  to  pay  the  value  in  goats 
and  sheep. 

This  thieving  trait  in  the  character  of  the 
Basoga  has  been  developed  under  proper 
teachers  organised  by  the  chiefs,  and  I  am 


236   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

thankful  to  say  it  is  dying  out  under  the  stern 
measures  of  the  Government  and  the  influence 
of  Christian  Missions. 

Iganga  has  always  been  a  trying  station,  and 
the  Europeans  have  suffered  a  good  deal  from 
thieves,  wild  animals,  and  disease.  The  Mission 
ladies  have  often  had  attempts  made  to  enter 
their  house  at  night-time ;  leopards  repeatedly 
walk  across  their  courtyard,  and  not  long  ago, 
whilst  I  was  there,  a  sleeping-sickness  patient 
was  carried  off  by  a  hyaena  or  leopard  from  a 
hut  within  the  compound.  On  another  visit  I 
found  one  of  the  ladies  who  had  been  waiting 
upon  this  very  patient  down  with  blackwater 
fever,  to  which  she  succumbed  after  only  a  few 
days'  illness. 

Slow,  dull,  and  trying  for  missionary  and 
administrator  this  work  in  Usoga ;  but  already 
the  reward  is  wonderfully  encouraging.  Thou- 
sands under  instruction,  many  showing  evidence 
of  mental  ability  that  will  compare  favourably 
with  that  of  the  average  boy  or  girl  in  England. 
A  large  number  of  capable  native  teachers,  a 
number  of  promising  candidates  for  the  ministry 
and  young  chiefs  who  would  have  sunk  only  too 
readily  into  the  slough  of  their  forefathers  are 
being  mentally,  morally,  and  physically  pre- 
pared for  the  task  of  ruling  their  districts  in 
accordance  not  only  with  England's  laws,  but 


SEMEI  KAKUXGULU. 
238 


A  Noble  Revenge  239 


also  that  authority  responsible  for  England's 
greatness — the  Word  of  God. 

Such  is  the  revenge  of  the  C.M.S.  and 
Christian  England  on  Usoga  for  the  murder 
of  Bishop  Hannington ;  and  this  revenge  must 
have  appealed  to  the  most  bigoted  heathen 
when,  as  a  climax,  the  son  of  the  murdered 
Bishop  baptized  the  son  of  the  murderer  "into 
the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost." 

Even  as  I  write,  the  news  has  reached  England 
that  Usoga  has  been  visited  by  a  famine  and 
some  thousands  of  people  have  died  in  spite  of 
the  efforts  of  Government  officers  and  mission- 
aries. Such  a  condition  of  things  will  continue, 
I  presume,  until  the  resources  of  the  country 
are  so  organised  that  every  nerve  is  not 
stretched  to  secure  big  hut-tax  returns,  but  to 
teach  the  people  that  they  need  not  succumb 
at  the  first  prolonged  drought. 

It  is  interesting,  too,  to  note  that  although 
Usoga  is  sometimes  held  up  as  an  example  of 
what  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  hut-tax  returns 
without  any  definite  payment  to  chiefs,  such  as 
we  have  seen  prevails  in  Uganda,  it  has  been 
found  necessary  to  take  a  capable  and  influential 
Muganda  chief — Semei  Kakungulu — and  set  him 
as  president  over  the  other  chiefs,  to  develop  in 
the  minds  of  the  Basoga  the  more  advanced,  yet 


240  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


ancient,  methods  of  the  Baganda,  based  on  the 
feudal  system. 

It  would  be  infinitely  cheaper,  quite  as  efficient, 
and  undoubtedly  practicable,  were  Semei  Kakun- 
gulu  made  absolute  paramount  chief  of  the 
Central  Province  and  an  Administration  set  up 
in  accordance  with  the  idea  already  proposed 
for  Uganda  and  neighbouring  kingdoms — i.e., 
Semei  Kakungulu  and  the  native  chiefs,  under 
the  direction  of  a  capable  white  adviser,  would 
do  the  work  of  the  present  junior  officials. 


CHAPTER  XII 


ON  THE  MARCH  IN  UNKNOWN  LANDS 


Bukedi — River  Mpologoma — Dug-out  canoes — Papyrus — Dis- 
enchantment— Strange  dwelling-places — Lake  Kyoga — 
Floating  islands — A  spicy  experience — Teso  country — 
Clothing  despised — Remarkable  village  fences — Curious 
ornaments — The  care  of  children — Precautions  for  benefit 
of  girls — Fear  of  a  mother-in-law — Mission  work — Lake 
Salisbury — A  primitive  race — Turkana  people — Hair-dress- 
ing and  use  of  pillows. 

T~TNTIL  quite  recently  Usoga  was  the  limit 


of  the  Baganda  marauding  expeditions, 
and  beyond  that  the  vast  countries  stretching 
away  to  Lake  Rudolph  and  Abyssinia  were  all 
denominated  by  the  one  word  Bukedi,  a  word 
corrupted  by  the  Baganda  from  Ukidi,  the  name 
of  a  district  in  the  Teso  country,  and  conveying 
to  the  Baganda  mind  a  great  land  inhabited  by 
dangerous,  naked  savages. 

I  have  journeyed  into  these  countries  from 
rail-head  at  Kisumu,  from  our  last  resting- 


2^2   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

place,  Iganga,  going  directly  east,  and  also  from 
Iganga,  going  north  via  Kamuli  on  to  Lake 
Kyoga,  and  thence  in  canoe  to  Bukedi,  or, 
more  explicitly,  Teso. 

Let  us  now  march  directly  east,  my  wife 
having  taken  her  place  in  the  hammock  I 
made  to  help  her  along. 

In  three  marches  from  Iganga  we  are  at  the 
side  of  a  great  expanse  of  water  which  the 
natives  at  this  point  call  Mpologoma,  or  Lion. 
This  water  has  been  described  as  a  backwash 
of  the  Nile,  and  it  has  also  been  mapped  as  a 
swamp,  but  after  careful  observation  I  have 
been  able  to  map  it  as  a  river,  and  one  of  the 
chief  rivers  to  carry  off  the  waters  from  Mount 
Elgon  to  Lake  Kyoga  and  thence  to  the  Nile. 

Former  travellers  may  well  have  supposed  the 
River  Mpologoma  a  swamp  or  lake,  for  where  it 
is  touched  in  Usoga  by  the  ordinary  trade  route 
it  is  one  mass  of  papyrus,  through  which  the 
natives  have  cut  a  passage  for  their  dug-out 
canoes. 

This  passage  has  recently  been  declared  a 
Government  ferry,  which  means,  I  suppose, 
that  the  natives  will  still  have  to  provide  the 
means  of  transit  and  pay  for  the  privilege  of 
doing  so. 

It  is  a  source  of  amazement  to  stand  at  the 
river-side  in  the  early  morning  before  the  sun 


The  River  Mpologoma  243 

has  looked  over  Mount  Elgon,  when  a  silence 
which  can  be  felt  reigns  supreme,  to  hear  your 
cries  for  boatmen  come  back  to  you  with  a 
hopelessness  that  suggests  death  and  desola- 
tion, and  then  to  see  a  weird  figure  standing 
erect  on  a  small  piece  of  wood,  across  which 
the  water  pours,  shoot  out  from  the  high- 
growing  papyrus,  paddle  himself  swiftly  to 
within  a  few  yards  of  ygu  to  comfort  you 
with  the  assurance  that  large  canoes  will  soon 
be  on  the  spot. 

The  meaning  of  the  word  soon  is  undoubtedly 
relative,  for  to  the  African  it  may  mean  two 
hours,  a  day,  or  even  longer ;  still,  since  "  all 
things  come  to  him  who  waits,"  even  the  giant 
dug-out  canoes  on  the  river  Mpologoma  appear, 
brought  from  their  hiding-places  in  the  papyrus 
by  numbers  of  men  and  women  who  have 
sprung  from  no  one  knows  where. 

Every  one  seems  to  talk  at  the  same  time, 
and  there  is  a  babel  of  language,  for  there 
are  porters  from  Masaba,  Uganda,  and  Usoga, 
whilst  the  boat  people  speak  a  dialect  quite 
their  own.  Each  one  knows  better  than  the 
other  how  to  induce  a  mule  to  enter  a  canoe, 
and  the  result  is  chaos  with  good  promise  of 
disaster ;  but  at  last  every  thing  and  being  has 
found  boat-room,  and  some  of  the  canoes  have 
already  disappeared  down  what  looks  a  long 


244  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

lane,  but  is  really  the  ferry  cut  by  the  natives 
through  the  papyrus  from  bank  to  bank  of  the 
river. 

The  traveller  has  no  doubt  settled  himself  to 
utilise  the  forty  minutes  crossing  by  thinking 
of  the  wonders  of  Africa  and  wonderful  ways 
of  the  African.  He  has  been  intensely  interested 
in  the  canoes,  the  men  and  women,  some  of  the 
latter  with  babies  hanging  on  to  them  as  they 
paddle  and  chant  their  way  across  the  stream ; 
and  he  has  also  been  interested  in  the  way  the 
men  jeopardised  their  lives  in  fighting  for  a 
place  in  the  canoes.  How  true  these  porters 
are  to  their  charge !  And  he  begins  with 
admiration  to  study  the  faces  of  the  men  in 
his  canoe. 

He  is  encouraged  in  his  study  by  a  smile 
which  greets  him  from  the  end  of  the  boat ; 
but  that  same  smile  quickens  him  into  mental 
and  physical  activity  more  effectually  than  the 
myriad  mosquitoes  that  have  left  their  resting- 
places  in  the  papyrus  to  claim  blood- relationship 
with  the  new  white  man,  for  by  a  lightning 
process  of  deduction  he  concludes  that  since 
that  smile  belongs  to  the  mule-boy  then  the 
mule  has  been  sent  on  alone  to  be  pulled  and 
mauled,  and  perhaps  lamed,  on  the  opposite 
bank  by  the  men  who  do  not  understand  it. 

He  looks  round  and  recognises  men  who 


HOUSE  BUILT  ON  THE  RIVER  MPOLOGOMA. 


Weird  and  Wonderful  Houses  247 

ought  to  be  with  their  loads  in  other  boats, 
and  fails  to  recognise  the  men  who  so  carefully- 
deposited  loads  that  as  far  as  possible  always 
travel  with  the  European.  The  loads  indeed 
are  near,  but  will  have  to  wait  half  an  hour 
on  the  bank-side  before  the  porters  told  off 
to  carry  them  arrive. 

The  traveller  soon  realises,  if  he  has  not 
already  done  so,  the  philosophy  of  the  Kiswa- 
hili  "  Pole,  pole  "  ("  Slowly,  slowly  ") ;  and  of  the 
Luganda  proverb,  "  Akwata  mpola  atuka  wala  " 
("  He  who  goes  slowly  reaches  far  ") ;  and  having 
comforted  himself  with  the  thought  that  he 
will  arrive  some  time,  he  settles  down — as  well 
as  the  mosquitoes  will  allow  him — to  pass  the 
time  profitably. 

This  at  any  rate  was  my  experience ;  and 
having  heard  a  rumour  to  the  effect  that  the 
people  lived  in  the  papyrus,  I  got  the  rowers 
to  take  me  out  of  the  usual  route  to  see  the 
chief  of  these  men  and  women  of  the  river. 

The  canoe  was  made  to  wind  in  and  out 
among  the  high-growing  reeds  ;  and  then  with 
a  sudden  push  through  what  seemed  an  im- 
possible barrier,  we  were  amazed  and  delighted 
to  find  ourselves  floating  in  a  clear  expanse 
of  water,  at  the  far  side  of  which  stood,  as  if 
also  resting  on  it,  a  large-sized,  comfortable- 
looking  native  house,  out  of  which  a  dog  came 

13 


Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  bark  at  us,  whilst  the  children,  afPrighted 
at  the  sudden  appearance  of  a  white  man, 
stood  at  a  safe  distance  within  the  doorway 
and  gaped. 

No  island  or  mud-bank  near,  it  seemed 
inconceivable  that  any  house  could  be  in  the 
vicinity  ;  yet  here  was  one,  and  I  afterwards 
found  many  more. 

The  natives  explained  to  me  that  in  years 
gone  by  there  was  no  security  in  the  countries 
bordering  this  great  river.  Their  forefathers 
were  constantly  raided,  and  were  eventually 
forced  to  seek  shelter  in  the  marshes  and  rivers. 

Some  ingenious  man  found  that  by  cutting 
the  papyrus  level  with  the  water,  and  then 
sewing  the  stems  together,  he  was  able  to 
make  a  substantial  and  safe  surface  upon 
which  it  was  possible  to  build  a  house  safe 
from  the  land  robbers,  and  from  which  terms 
could  be  dictated  to  those  who  wished  to  cross 
from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other. 

Quite  a  strong  community  of  these  river 
dwellers  is  to  be  found  on  the  Mpologoma; 
and  whilst  it  is  marvellous  how  they  have 
withstood  the  mosquito  pest,  it  is  most  pitiful 
to  know  that  the  sleeping-sickness  fly  has 
reached  their  dwelling-place,  and  most  of  them 
are  probably  doomed  to  die  of  this  awful 
plague. 


Lake  Kyoga  249 


It  was  a  pleasure  to  go  in  and  out  among 
these  people  whenever  I  was  at  the  Mpologoma  ; 
and  through  the  kindness  of  a  Muganda  chief 
I  had  a  little  church  erected  near  the  river 
to  which  some  of  them  came  to  read,  hear,  and 
learn  of  the  love  and  peace  of  God. 

The  river  is  known  by  different  names  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  but  I  have 
carefully  traced  it  from  Mount  Elgon,  and 
have  given  it  on  the  map  on  pp.  220-221. 

Having  crossed  it  on  the  road  running  directly 
east  from  the  Nile  and  Iganga,  we  have  a 
journey  of  some  forty  miles  to  travel  before 
coming  to  our  Masaba  Mission  station  situate 
on  the  foothills  of  Mount  Elgon  ;  and  since  the 
intervening  country  is  somewhat  uninteresting 
it  will  not  be  amiss  to  retrace  our  steps  and 
take  the  reader  north  from  Iganga  across 
Lake  Kyoga,  formed  no  doubt  to  a  great 
extent  by  the  river  Mpologoma ;  at  any  rate 
fed  by  the  Nile,  Mpologoma,  and  connections 
from  Lake  Salisbury,  which  acts  as  a  reservoir 
for  much  water  from  Mounts  Elgon,  Dabasian 
(Kokolyo),  and  Teso. 

It  seems  to  me  that  when  dealing  with  the 
Nile  supply  too  little  notice  has  hitherto  been 
taken  of  the  water  pouring  into  Kyoga  from 
these  mountains. 

Great    floating    islands   of    papyrus   are  a 


250   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

feature  of  Lake  Kyoga,  for  the  rush  of  the 
rivers  Mpologoma,  Naigombwa,  Abuketi,  and 
Agu  seems  to  prevent  any  thick  growth  in  the 
water,  which  is  here  quite  expansive. 

The  crossing  is  quite  a  spicy  experience, 
especially  when  the  headman  of  the  canoes, 
in  order  to  extract  a  compliment,  informs  one 
that  the  canoe  in  which  we  are  sitting  turned 
turtle  on  the  journey  from  the  other  side,  and 
was  only  saved  by  the  skill  with  which  he  and 
his  fellows  got  it  and  themselves  alongside  a 
floating  island. 

In  fear  and  trembling  our  porters  land  on  the 
shores  of  Bukedi,  as  they  call  it,  but  really  in 
Serere,  a  district  of  Teso,  a  large  country 
stretching  from  Lake  Kyoga  to  Lake  Rudolph, 
and  occupied  by  a  Nilotic  tribe  of  people. 

We  are,  indeed,  in  a  strange  land  :  houses, 
people,  language,  cultivation,  all  differ  from 
anything  met  with  elsewhere  in  the  Uganda 
Protectorate,  south  of  Acholi  country,  and 
even  the  white  man  can  sympathise  with  the 
nervousness  of  his  porters. 

Remarkably  tall  men  absolutely  naked,  and 
women  with  bead  and  iron  belts  from  which 
hangs  a  fringe  behind  and  in  front  go  stalking 
past  ;  and  large  companies  can  be  seen  at 
work  preparing  the  ground  for  the  sowing  of 
millet,  the  chief  item  of  food.    So  there  are 


Teso  Country  and  People  251 

certain  evidences  of  a  large  population,  but 
not  a  house  can  be  seen  until  some  friendly- 
native  escorts  us  behind  the  thick  screens 
and  defences  formed  by  the  cactus  plant,  and 
there  in  peace,  safety,  and  comfort  is  seen  the 
patriarchal  family  with  all  they  require. 

As  an  additional  defence  the  doorways  of  the 
houses  are  often  made  so  remarkably  low  that 
people  and  cattle  are  obliged  to  kneel  to  enter. 
This  custom  has  developed  a  condition  of  chronic 
white  swelling,  or  housemaid's  knee,  among 
many  of  the  men,  women,  and  cattle  ;  and  it 
is  a  most  peculiar  sight  to  see  people  and 
cattle  walking  about  with  a  great  swelling  on 
each  knee. 

Polygamy  is  the  usual  custom  of  the  people 
in  these  regions,  and  the  favourite  wife  can 
generally  be  distinguished  by  some  special 
mark  of  favour.  In  one  group  I  photographed 
the  chief's  favourite  was  wearing  an  iron  chain 
apron,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a  great  swell. 

The  rest  of  the  ladies  in  the  group  had 
vied  with  each  other  as  to  how  many  rings 
they  could  wear  in  nose,  ears,  lips,  and  tongue, 
and  one  young  girl  seemed  very  proud  of  the 
fact  that  she  had  five  rings  in  her  tongue, 
which  she  shyly  kept  out  whilst  I  was  taking 
the  photograph. 

The  men  are  equally  fond  of  such  adornments 


252   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  ears,  nose,  and  lips  ;  and  further  north  they 
enhance  their  "  beauty "  by  allowing  their 
hair  to  grow,  and  then  working  into  it  thick 
potter's  clay,  which  looks  and  feels  almost 
like  an  unnatural  growth.  Into  this  clay 
they  stick  ostrich  feathers,  which  add  consider- 
ably to  their  already  great  height  and  striking 
appearance. 

Nowhere  else  in  Africa  have  I  seen  the  care 
bestowed  upon  infants  which  is  to  be  met  with 
in  Teso  country ;  and  one  picture  explains  what 
I  mean.  The  tall  mother  has  been  on  a  journey, 
and  her  infant  is  resting  in  a  very  nicely  made 
skin  sling  on  her  back.  To  protect  the  child's 
head  from  the  sun  a  gourd  has  been  prepared, 
and  can  be  seen  in  the  picture  hanging  from 
the  mother's  neck  and  covering  the  baby's 
head. 

The  pictures  of  a  Teso  house  and  grain  store 
will  enable  the  reader  to  understand  how 
careful  these  seemingly  wild  people  are  to 
make  provision  for  the  future. 

Care  is  taken  to  protect  the  unmarried  girls 
by  making  it  compulsory  for  all  young  un- 
married men  of  a  family  or  village  to  sleep 
together  in  a  hut  set  apart  from  the  rest ;  and 
it  is  said  that  after  these  youths  have  retired 
the  elders  prepare  the  ground  in  such  a  way 
that  trespassers  are  easily  traced.    This,  how- 


Power  of  a  Mother-in-law  255 


ever,  is  only  done  when  flagrant  advantage  has 
been  taken  of  the  custom  of  the  country  for 
girls  not  to  refuse  when  solicited. 

When  being  taken  round  one  of  the  villages 
by  its  chief,  I  was  interested  and  amused  at 
seeing  a  practical  illustration  of  the  awe  with 
which  a  mother-in-law  can  inspire  her  daughter's 
husband. 

The  man  was  describing  to  me  how  that  he 
was  the  head  of  his  village,  that  men  and 
women  helped  to  till  the  ground  and  gather 
the  grain ;  that  sweet  potatoes  and  bananas  are 
also  cultivated,  but  the  bananas  are  not  eaten 
for  food  but  used  for  making  drink. 

He  explained  the  necessity  for  guarding 
themselves  with  the  strong  cactus  fence  against 
the  Kimam  or  Kimama  people  to  the  north — a 
people  of  less  striking  physique  than  the  Teso, 
Koromojo,  and  Turkana  tribes,  but  much  more 
formidable  fighters  ;  and  when  in  the  middle 
of  his  explanation  he  suddenly  stopped,  gripped 
me  by  the  arm  and  led  me  off  at  a  rapid 
pace  in  the  opposite  direction.  I  was  certain 
then  some  of  the  enemy  had  appeared.  At  the 
gate,  however,  he  stopped  in  his  flight  and  went 
on  with  the  conversation  as  if  nothing  had 
happened. 

Naturally  I  was  inquisitive,  and  pressed  him 
for  an  explanation,  when  he  pointed  in  the 


256   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

direction  from  which  we  had  come  and  uttered 
the  words  "  Mother-in-law."  I  chaffingly  sug- 
gested that  his  description  of  things  could  not 
be  correct,  for  he  had  told  me  that  he  was 
head  of  the  village,  and  here  he  was  afraid 
of  his  mother-in-law.  He  smiled,  somewhat 
grimly  I  thought,  but  would  not  be  persuaded 
to  return  by  the  same  route.  The  lady  was 
on  the  outlook  for  us,  and  at  the  same  time 
anxiously  endeavouring  to  protect  herself  from 
the  shame  of  being  gazed  upon  by  her  daughter's 
husband.  A  curious  custom  no  doubt,  yet  one 
perhaps  which  makes  for  peace. 

For  the  past  five  years  Baganda  teachers 
have  been  working  amongst  these  people  with 
encouraging  results.  Archdeacon  Buckley  and 
I  have  baptized  young  men  from  Miro  and 
Bululu,  on  the  shores  of  Kyoga,  and  have 
found  them  bright  and  intelligent  ;  and  two 
years  ago  some  Teso  lads  from  Kumi,  near 
Lake  Salisbury,  were  baptized  by  a  Muganda 
clergyman  whom  I  had  placed  there. 

One  of  these  lads  came  to  live  with  me  and 
teach  me  his  language,  but  sickness  intervened 
and  I  was  invalided  to  Europe. 

Since  then  the  C.M.S.  have  appointed  a 
European  and  his  wife  to  live  at  Ngora,  the 
centre  of  this  Southern  Teso  district,  with  a 
million  of  people,  where  the  first  white  woman 


Lake  Salisbury  259 


the  natives  had  ever  seen — Mrs.  Crabtree — was 
the  wonder  of  the  age  ;  and  where  the  present 
lady,  if  not  driven  out  by  malaria,  will  prove 
a  tremendous  influence  for  good.  The  perfect 
friendliness  of  the  people  at  Ngora  may  be 
gathered  from  the  fact  that  many  were  daring 
enough  to  brave  the  unknown  powers  of  the 
camera. 

Near  by  is  Lake  Salisbury,  known  to  the 
natives  as  "Bisina,"  a  not  very  beautiful  or 
expansive  sheet  of  water  except  in  the  rainy 
season  when  much  of  the  surrounding  land 
is  inundated. 

I  was  able  to  trace  the  distinct  double 
connection  between  Lakes  Salisbury  and 
Kyoga  formed  by  the  rivers,  or  arms,  Agu 
and  Abuketi,  marked  on  the  map  on  pp. 
220-221. 

Fishermen  and  hippopotami  hunters  from 
Nsoga  paddle  up  one  or  other  of  these  arms 
into  Salisbury. 

Lakes  Salisbury  and  Gedge  are  really  one 
sheet  of  water  in  the  rainy  season. 

From  the  shores  of  Lake  Salisbury  we  got 
a  glimpse  of  Mount  Debasian,  called  Kokolyo 
by  the  natives,  rising  some  twenty  miles 
away  to  the  westward  like  three  huge  jagged 
teeth. 

Through  the  glass  its  cliffs  and  precipices 


26o   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

look  inaccessible ;  yet  perched  on  the  very 
top  of  them  are  the  dwellings  of  a  people 
whose  language  and  habits  differ  considerably 
from  those  of  surrounding  tribes. 

This  people,  sometimes  called  Tegetha  and 
Tepeth,  are  to  be  met  with  again  on  Mount 
Moroto,  near  Manimani,  in  the  north ;  and 
since  they  are  undoubtedly  of  Bantu  stock, 
their  presence  so  far  north,  and  surrounded 
as  they  are  by  powerful  Nilotic  peoples  by 
whom  they  are  respected,  is  a  striking  pheno- 
menon. I  have  often  longed  to  visit  them, 
and  hope  the  opportunity  to  do  so  may  come ; 
but  at  present  must  content  myself  with  the 
interesting  question  as  to  whether  or  not 
they  are  remnants  of  a  great  Galla  invasion 
which  passed  over  the  Lake  Rudolph  district 
down  to  the  south  and  south-west  as  far  as 
the  Ruwenzori  Mountains  and  Lake  Albert. 

Away  in  the  north,  between  Lakes  Salisbury 
and  Rudolph,  dwell  the  powerful  Koromojo 
and  Turkana  clans,  blood  relations  of  the  Masai, 
closely  allied  in  customs  and  manners  to  the 
Suk  people  of  Lake  Baringo  district,  and  akin 
in  language  to  the  Teso  people  among  whom  we 
are  now  travelling. 

Like  the  Teso,  the  Koromojo  and  Turkana 
men  eschew  clothing  of  any  kind.  They  are 
big,  strong,  brave  fellows,  renowned  as  fighters. 


Turkana  Warriors  261 


but  vainer  than  the  most  frivolous  woman 
with  regard  to  trinkets  and  style  of  hair- 
dressing.  A  Turkana  warrior  is  a  sight  to  be 
remembered,  with  his  long  hair  thickly  inter- 
twined and  hanging  from  his  head  exactly  like 
a  very  thick,  black  doormat  with  the  corners 
rounded  off. 

Where  the  hair  is  not  long  and  thick  enough 
to  form  of  itself  a  sufficiently  prominent  head- 
dress, it  is  encaked  with  potter's  clay  in  which 
ostrich  feathers,  red  berries,  and  pieces  of  reed 
are  stuck,  giving  to  the  wearer  a  really  terrible 
appearance. 

The  difficulty  of  sleeping  with  such  a 
permanent  head-dress  is  overcome  by  the  use 
of  a  small  wooden  pillow,  made  with  two 
prongs  to  stick  in  the  ground,  and  the  top 
carved  to  receive  the  neck  of  the  sleeper.  In 
the  daytime  it  is  carried  on  the  arm  of  the 
owner  by  a  thong  of  rough  hide,  and  is  always 
conveniently  near  when  a  seat  is  required. 

For  many  years  past  Koromojo,  Turkana, 
and  Dobosa,  or  Toposa,  have  been  open  to  the 
trader  and  ivory  hunter,  and  indeed  one  might 
truthfully  say  have  been  under  the  supremacy 
of  the  ivory  hunter — settlements  of  Arabs, 
Swahilis,  and  Baloochis.  Now  and  then  the 
depredations  of  these  rascals  have  been 
suddenly  ended  by  the  swoop  of  a  marauding 


262   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

party  of  Abyssinians,  but  from  either  party 
the  natives  suffered  grievously  and  still  suffer, 
for  there  is  no  attempt  to  administer  what  is 
a  fine  and  promising  district. 

Life  in  some  parts  of  Koromojo  and  Turkana 
will  always  be  somewhat  difficult,  especially 
in  the  hot  season  when  water  is  scarce  and 
sometimes  disappears  altogether;  so  that  milk 
and  blood  have  to  be  depended  upon  by  human 
beings,  and  the  wants  of  the  cattle  supplied 
from  any  underground  accumulations  of  water 
that  may  be  found  by  digging. 

At  present  ivory  is  the  chief  export  from 
these  districts,  and  some  idea  of  the  number 
of  elephants  to  be  met  with  may  be  gathered 
from  the  rich  haul  represented  by  the  accom- 
panying picture. 

There  seems  no  difficulty  in  persuading  men 
to  undertake  hardships  for  the  purpose  of  gain 
— one  young  fellow  is  said  to  have  cleared 
£8,000  profit  in  about  nine  months ;  but  how  few 
men  there  are — at  the  present  moment  none — 
willing  to  answer  the  call  of  this  vast  district, 
to  use  the  present  grand  opportunity,  before  the 
Swahili  traders  have  forced  Mohammedanism 
upon  the  natives,  and  before  the  evils  of  civilisa- 
tion have  ruined  them,  to  go  in  and  win  the 
whole  district  for  Christ! 

What  a  glorious   work   might  be  done  at 


An  Invitation  from  Abyssinia  265 

Manimani  by  a  few  earnest  and  practical  young 
fellows — a  clergyman,  a  doctor,  and  a  couple 
of  laymen  ! 

Even  Abyssinia  recognises  the  opportunity, 
for  not  two  years  ago  five  Abyssiniaus  travelled 
down  from  their  own  country  through  these 
districts  to  my  station  on  Mount  Elgon,  and 
begged  me  to  go  back  with  them  and  see  the 
many  peoples  by  the  way  in  need  of  a  mis- 
sionary. Four  of  these  men  claimed  to  be 
Christians,  a  remnant  of  the  old  Coptic  Church 
— in  this  instance  an  example  to  more  enlight- 
ened professors  of  the  Christian  religion. 

I  was  too  ill  to  move  far  from  my  own 
station,  and  in  any  case  the  work  at  Mount 
Elgon  had  the  prior  claim,  but  I  hope  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  men  from  England 
will  be  forthcoming  to  take  up  such  a  challenge 
as  these  Abyssinians  gave. 

At  present  we  must  turn  our  backs  on  the 
north  and  continue  our  journey  southwards 
towards  the  great  black  mass  we  know  to  be 
Mount  Elgon. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


MASABA:  COUNTRY,  PEOPLE,  AND 
CUSTOMS 

A  cool  camp — The  largest  extinct  volcano  in  the  world — Mount 
Elgon  and  its  foothills — Masaba — Primitive  customs — 
Caves  and  cave-dwellers — The  wildest  people  in  Uganda 
Protectorate — Native  customs— Circumcision — Patriarchsd 
government  —  Clan  system  —  Land  laws  —  Heirship  — 
Marriage  laws  and  customs — Dress  of  married  women — 
Clan  marks — Ornaments — Protection  of  girls — Punishment 
of  wrong-doers — Clan  fights — Native  courtesy — Spirit  of 
independence  —  Jealousy  —  A  father's  curse  —  Curious 
customs. 

IN  the  middle  of  the  hottest  season  it 
is  possible  to  sleep  comfortably  at  our 
last  camp,  Nabowa,  or  Napowa,  for  the  cold 
winds  from  the  largest  volcano  in  the  world 
have  been  blowing  over  us,  and  we  rise 
refreshed  to  see  a  sight  interesting  and 
pleasing. 

Right  in  front  of  us,  apparently  quite  near, 
rises  the  extinct  volcano  known — no  one  knows 

9G6 


Masaba  267 


why — as  Mount  Elgon.  Its  foothills  stretch 
away  vast  distances  to  right  and  left,  and 
appear  on  the  north  to  join  the  %peculiarly 
shaped  mountain  Debasian,  or  Kokolyo. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  crater  of  Elgon 
must  be  some  thirty  miles  from  Nabowa,  but 
at  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles  there  rises 
abruptly  a  hilly  plateau  some  7,500  feet  above 
sea-level,  and  this  with  a  cloud  hanging  over 
its  top  at  first  sight  appears  joined  to  the 
crater. 

All  the  hill  region  is  known  as  Masaba,  and 
until  the  last  few  years  it  has  been  quite 
cut  off  from  the  outside  world. 

There,  on  the  hill  in  front  of  us,  are  men 
who  offer  sacrifices  as  in  the  days  of  Cain  and 
Abel,  and  procure  fire  for  the  purpose  prob- 
ably in  the  very  same  way  as  those  ancients 
by  the  rubbing  of  sticks. 

On  this  western  side  are  to  be  seen  caves, 
which,  though  now  only  used  as  hiding-places 
in  times  of  danger,  were  undoubtedly  at  no 
distant  date  the  usual  dwelling-places  of  the 
Bagishu. 

Away  to  the  south-east  of  Elgon  the  caves 
are  still  in  use,  though  the  bolder  spirits  are 
beginning  to  build  in  the  open. 

I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  the  caves 
are  originally  natural,  but  have  been  enlarged 


2  68   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  meet  the  needs  of  growing  families  and 
herds. 

A  belt  of  "Kalungu,"  that  is,  uninhabited 
land,  almost  surrounds  Masaba,  and  gives  the 
country  an  uninviting  appearance ;  but  no 
sooner  has  this  been  crossed  than  Masaba  is 
seen  to  be  a  land  of  plenty,  beauty,  and, 
because  of  its  primitive  simplicity,  a  land  of 
wonder. 

The  long  elephant-grass  of  Uganda  and 
Usoga  is  absent,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach  almost  every  foot  of  ground  seems 
to  be  under  cultivation,  whilst  innumer- 
able clusters  of  houses  are  visible  in  every 
valley  and  on  what  appear  to  be  inaccessible 
hiUs. 

We  left  the  last  Government  post  more  than 
twenty  miles  west  of  Masaba,  but  nowhere  else 
in  Africa  did  I  receive  a  more  hearty  welcome 
or  meet  with  a  more  kindly  disposed  people 
than  in  this  country,  where  the  people  were 
living  as  they  had  lived  right  along  from  the 
past  ages,  and  are  described  by  the  late  Com- 
missioner of  Uganda,  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston,  as 
"perhaps  the  wildest  people  to  be  found  any- 
where within  the  limits  of  the  Uganda  Protec- 
torate. They  are  wilder  even  than  the  Congo 
dwarfs." 

Such  a  character  almost  appalled  one,  but 


AX  OLD  MASABA  PATRIARCH. 
269 


Primitive  People  and  Customs  271 

four  years  of  life  among  them  proved  them 
not  only  very  kindly  but  very  capable  of 
development. 

A  primitive,  pastoral,  Bantu-speaking  people, 
they  are  known  as  Bamasaba  or  Bagishu,  but 
distinguish  themselves  as  a  race  apart  from 
others  by  the  name  Basani,  i.e.,  men,  whilst 
all  men  of  uncircumcised  nations  are  called 
Basindi,  i.e.,  boys. 

There  is  an  annual  festival  of  circumcision, 
when  all  youths  who  wish  to  be  recognised  as 
full  members  of  the  clan,  warriors,  and  men 
to  be  reckoned  with,  parade,  dressed  in  war 
dress,  and  march  from  village  to  village  to 
make  public  their  brave  decision. 

They  are  fited  by  young  and  old  for  days 
before  the  actual  operation,  and  they  visit  the 
sacred  grove  of  the  clan,  and,  having  made 
their  offerings,  receive  through  their  witch- 
doctor the  blessing  of  the  spirits. 

The  final  operation  is  carried  out  by  adepts, 
who  receive  a  fowl  from  each  lad. 

This  operation  is  performed  in  public,  not  in 
one  centre,  but  in  various  places  situate  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  homes  of  the  young 
men  concerned. 

Each  patient  has  to  stand  forward,  grasp  a 
young  sapling  with  both  hands,  and  stand 
without  flinching  whilst  the  foreskin  is  cut 

14 


272   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

away.  On  the  least  show  of  cowardice  the 
patient  is  fiercely  beaten  with  sticks  by  the 
onlookers,  but  at  the  close  of  the  operaton  is 
treated  with  great  care  and  consideration 
until  better. 

A  house  is  set  apart  for  the  young  men 
suffering,  and  they  are  carefully  tended  night 
and  day  until  better. 

As  a  rule,  the  youths  are  nude  until  cir- 
cumcision, after  which  they  wear  a  skin  apron. 

The  form  of  government  has  only  reached  the 
patriarchal  stage ;  and  this  explains  the  reason 
for  the  independent  village  life  found  in  Masaba. 
Ten,  twenty,  thirty,  and  as  many  as  a  hundred 
houses  are  clustered  together,  sometimes  forti- 
fied with  a  strong  mud  wall  and  deep  trench ; 
and  in  these  dwell  the  wives,  sons,  grandchildren, 
and  other  relations  of  the  chief  man,  who  is  the 
old  patriarchal  head  or  son  chosen  to  succeed 
him. 

The  old  patriarchs  long  ago  took  clan  names, 
and  instituted  the  clan  system  whereby  the  land 
of  the  country  was  fairly  apportioned  and  settled 
on  a  satisfactory  basis. 

Each  clan  owns  a  definitely  marked  strip  of 
land  running  towards  the  principal  mountain 
heights. 

Each  adult  male  individual  of  a  clan  can 
claim  a  piece  of  this  strip.    No   land  is  ex- 


Native  Land  Laws  273 


changed,  but  any  individual  may  sell  his 
land,  and  often  does  sell  a  portion  of  it.  No 
chief  may  interfere,  for  the  Masaba  chiefs 
are  not  chiefs  in  the  feudal  sense  and  do 
not  own  the  land  more  than  any  other  house- 
holder. Each  male  has  an  independent  right 
over  his  own  land,  and  no  chief  can  turn 
him  away,  as  is  the  case  under  the  feudal 
system. 

The  land  is  hereditable,  and  on  the  death 
of  the  father,  if  married  sons  only  remain, 
they  share  alike.  If  married  sons  and  young 
children  are  left,  the  eldest  son  takes  charge 
on  behalf  of  the  young  male  children.  He 
and  the  other  married  sons  may  share  the 
cattle  with  the  children,  but  the  land  is  kept 
for  the  children. 

If  there  is  more  than  one  wife,  and  each 
wife  has  children,  the  male  children  fall 
heirs  to  the  land  cultivated  by  their  own 
mother. 

If  there  be  only  one  wife,  with  issue  of  sons, 
the  sons  divide  the  estate. 

The  heir  to  the  chieftainship — i.e.,  repre- 
sentative of  the  family — is  elected  by  the 
male  relatives  of  the  deceased,  and  is  always 
a  son. 

A  person  may  change  his  clan  to  enter  the 
clan  of  his  mother,  and  he  may  succeed  to 


2  74  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

land  in  both  the  clan  of  his  father  and  of  his 
mother. 

Members  of  the  same  clan  do  not  intermarry. 

The  clan  feeling  is  very  strong,  and  each 
individual  is  intensely  loyal  to  the  call  of  the 
clan  in  time  of  need.  An  insult  offered  to  the 
humblest  individual  is  offered  to,  and  will  be 
resented  by,  the  whole  clan.  Consequently 
the  clans  are  often  at  variance.  Their  petty 
jealousies  prevent  any  cordial  co-operation 
or  amalgamation,  even  in  time  of  direst 
necessity,  and  this  makes  missionary  and 
probably  any  other  kind  of  work  among  them 
very  difficult. 

There  is  little  doubt,  however,  but  that  this 
condition  of  the  people  has  been  of  some 
assistance  to  the  Government,  for  such  a  thing 
as  organised  opposition  is  quite  out  of  the 
question. 

The  strongest  patriarch,  or  chief,  is  the  man 
who  has  been  able  to  procure  the  most  cattle, 
and  with  them  buy  the  largest  number  of 
wives,  for  each  of  which  he  would  have  to 
pay  from  two  to  ten  head  of  cattle,  according 
to  age  and  condition. 

The  suitor  for  a  lady's  hand  approaches 
the  girl's  father  and  discusses  the  price 
of  his  choice  in  cattle.  These  negotiations 
often  last  a  considerable  time,  until  at  last 


Marriage  Customs  275 

the  bargain  is  struck  and  the  cattle  paid 
over. 

For  the  space  of  three  months  not  a  sign 
is  given  that  the  arrangement  is  complete  ; 
the  woman  is  still  in  her  father's  house,  and 
things  go  on  as  usual  in  the  house  of  her 
suitor. 

At  the  end  of  this  time  the  lady's  father 
kills  a  goat,  and  friends — except  the  prospec- 
tive bridegroom  and  his  clan — and  relations 
are  invited  to  partake  of  a  feast  at  his  house, 
after  which  a  procession  is  formed,  composed 
of  the  bride-elect,  escorted  by  thirty  unmarried 
girls  of  her  acquaintance,  the  foremost  of 
whom  carries  the  head  and  skin  of  the  goat 
which  formed  an  important  item  in  the  recent 
feast. 

Before  and  behind  these  females  march  young 
men,  decked  out,  like  the  girls,  in  all  the  glory 
of  beads  and  iron  wire. 

Behind  all  come  some  men,  related  to  the 
bridegroom,  carrying  earthenware  pots  full  of 
strong  drink  made  from  grain.  The  more 
common  drink  made  from  bananas  is  not  used 
on  these  occasions. 

On  arrival  at  the  house  of  the  bridegroom 
a  mimic  war  takes  place,  to  convey  the 
idea  that  the  two  clans  are  fighting  for  the 
lady. 


276  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

If  the  bridegroom-elect  is  still  uncirciimcised 
the  bride  and  her  retinue  stay  for  two  days  to 
cultivate  whatever  plantain  garden  the  gentle- 
man owns. 

If,  however,  the  bridegroom-elect  is,  from 
the  Bagishu  point  of  view,  a  man,  they  stay 
three  days,  eating,  drinking,  working,  and 
playing. 

Anything  of  an  unseemly  nature  is  strictly 
taboo ;  and  as  the  man  and  woman  most  closely 
concerned  are  not  yet  married,  they  stay  apart 
from  each  other. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  or  third  day  the 
bride-elect  returns  with  her  retinue  to  her 
father's  house  and  there  remains  for  one  or 
two  months,  after  which  another  goat  and 
fowls  are  killed,  plantains  cooked,  strong  drink 
brewed,  and  every  preparation  made  for  a  great 
feast. 

Married  men  are  sent  by  the  bridegroom  with 
jars  for  the  drink  and  baskets  for  the  food. 
The  procession  is  once  more  formed,  this  time 
without  the  young  men,  and  the  lady  is  brought 
to  her  husband. 

Friends  and  neighbours  and  all  who  will  from 
far  and  near,  except  the  father  and  mother  of 
the  bride,  assemble  to  eat  the  marriage  feast, 
at  the  close  of  which  the  bride,  now  arrayed 
in  the  symbolic  dress  of  a  married  woman,  is 


Dress  of  Married  Women  277 


escorted  by  the  bridegroom  to  her  future  home. 
A  house  and  grain  store  are  provided  for  each 
wife,  and  as  a  rule  the  women  settle  down 
after  marriage  to  a  quiet,  loyal,  and  fairly  in- 
dustrious life,  cultivating,  cooking,  bringing 
firewood  and  water,  counting  and  restringing 
her  beads. 

The  distinctive  dress  of  a  married  woman  is 
a  fringe  of  light-coloured  string,  made  from 
plantain  fibre,  tied  round  the  waist  at  the  back, 
then  gathered  together,  passed  between  the  legs, 
and  tied  to  the  string  in  front. 

There  is  also  a  small  black  string  fringe, 
without  which  no  well-bred  woman  will  ap- 
proach her  husband  to  serve  food  or  even  be 
without  in  a  man's  presence. 

There  is  no  distinctive  dress  for  the  younger 
women,  but  they  are  strictly  careful  to  wear  a 
piece  of  cloth  or  leaf  or  plant. 

When  the  young  men  are  considered  old 
enough  to  marry,  and  become  full  members  of 
their  clan — i.e.,  at  from  sixteen  to  eighteen 
years  of  age — they  are  circumcised ;  and  the 
young  women,  on  attaining  the  age  of  from 
fourteen  to  sixteen  years,  are  marked  on  the 
abdomen  and  forehead  with  the  tribal  marks, 
cut  after  having  been  perforated  by  some  old 
lady  of  the  clan. 

Sometimes  the  wounds  fester  and  form  one 


278    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

large  keloid  which  looks  very  like  a  doormat 
tied  to  the  abdomen. 

It  is  also  customary  for  the  women  to  per- 
forate the  lower  lip  and  gradually  enlarge  the 
hole  until  they  are  able  to  wear,  comfortably, 
I  suppose,  a  piece  of  wood  half  an  inch  in 
diameter  or — the  height  of  ambition — a  large 
piece  of  white  quartz  two  or  three  inches  long. 

Both  men  and  women  are  fond  of  orna- 
mentation. They  wear  beads  of  every  kind, 
shape,  and  colour,  and  whatever  coloured  bead 
is  the  fashion  becomes  the  currency  for  the 
time  being.  Necklets,  bracelets,  and  anklets  of 
iron  and  brass,  some  of  them  exceedingly  heavy, 
are  greatly  sought  after;  waistbands,  too,  of 
ostrich  eggshell,  cowrie  shells,  and  iron  are 
very  popular,  and  hippo  teeth,  rams'  horns,  leg 
bells,  shell  and  monkey-skin  hats  are  worn  to 
add  dignity  to  festive  occasions  and  to  inspire 
awe  in  time  of  war. 

At  the  age  of  about  ten  years  both  boys  and 
girls  leave  the  house  of  their  parents  and  take 
up  their  quarters  in  houses  provided  for  them, 
girls  in  one  house,  boys  in  another. 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  care  taken  by 
the  non-Bantu  people  in  Teso  to  ensure  the  safe 
keeping  of  their  girls  at  night-time.  The  people 
of  Masaba  are  not  so  particular;  there  are 
certain  penalties  attached  to  wrongdoing,  and 


MUGISHU  WOMAN  WEARING  LIP  STONE. 
279 


The  Protection  of  Girls  281 


if  the  young  people  are  foolish  enough  to  brave 
them  they  cannot  complain  of  the  punish- 
ment. 

A  father  who  has  been  given  cause  for 
suspicion  will  hide  himself  in  the  grass  near 
the  house  of  his  daughter  and  wait  night  after 
night  until  he  knows  for  certain  whether  his 
confidence  has  been  betrayed. 

Woe  betide  the  guilty  youth !  The  whole 
village  is  aroused,  and  the  elders,  with  all  the 
male  relatives  of  the  girl,  fall  on  him  with  sticks 
and  beat  him  until  he  wishes  he  had  never  been 
born. 

And  here  let  me  state  a  fact,  hardly  com- 
prehensible to  Western  minds :  in  nearly  every 
case  of  solicitation  the  girl  is  the  culprit. 

When  without  a  marriage  according  to  native 
custom  a  child  is  expected,  the  girl  is  severely 
punished  by  her  father  or  brothers ;  indeed, 
their  anger  often  leads  them  to  the  length  of 
spearing  her,  after  which  they  will  bring  her 
to  the  European  to  be  doctored. 

There  is  no  idea  of  shame  in  the  question, 
but  the  marketable  value  of  a  girl  drops  on 
account  of  her  condition,  and  instead  of  the 
marriage  allowance  being  from  four  to  ten 
head  of  cattle  her  relatives  can  only  get  from 
two  to  four. 

There  seems  no  great  difficulty  in  finding  a 


282   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

husband  for  such  a  girl,  and  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  but  that  the  reduced  price  tempts  suitors. 

The  child,  which  to  the  native  mind  is  illegiti- 
mate, goes  with  the  mother  and  becomes  the 
property  of  the  husband. 

It  might  have  been  supposed  that  in  the 
event  of  the  child  being  a  girl  a  larger  number 
of  cattle  would  be  demanded  and  gladly  paid ; 
but  no,  the  woman  and  her  child  go  for  the 
smallest  possible  price  without  a  sign  of  festivity 
or  joy;  and  we  may  take  it  for  granted  that 
the  voice  of  the  nation  has  settled  this  and 
other  unwritten  laws  for  the  social  welfare  of 
the  whole  community. 

Much  of  the  trouble  between  clan  and  clan  is 
caused  by  unsatisfactory  marriages.  It  is  an 
understood  thing  that  if  a  wife  leaves  her 
husband  and  returns  to  her  father  without 
having  borne  a  child,  the  marriage  is  dissolved 
by  the  father  returning  to  the  husband  all  the 
cattle. 

If  a  child  has  been  born  the  cattle  are  returned 
less  one  killed  to  give  a  feast  to  the  wife's  friends 
and  relations.  But  if  there  are  a  number  of 
children  the  cattle  are  not  returned. 

It  is  undoubtedly  difficult  to  get  any  African 
to  return  cattle  that  have  been  in  his  possession, 
and  the  above  marriage  laws  often  lead  to 
squabbles  and  even  serious  feuds  because  a  wife 


284 


Clan  Fights  285 


has  left  her  husband  to  return  to  her  old  home, 
and  her  father  is  too  strong  for  the  husband, 
who  dare  not  even  go  near  to  claim  his  own. 

As  a  rule  the  wrongdoers  and  the  wronged 
person  are  supported  by  their  respective  clans, 
and  this  sometimes  leads  to  a  regular  battle, 
such  as  I  have  witnessed  more  than  once. 

The  men  of  each  clan  arm  with  spears,  knives, 
sticks,  bows  and  arrows,  and  meet  for  battle  on 
the  boundary. 

Charge  after  charge  is  made,  heads  cracked, 
and  spear-wounds  given,  and  it  may  be  a 
man  on  each  side  killed ;  but  this  does  not 
often  happen,  except  in  a  drunken  brawl. 

As  a  rule  the  clan  fights  are  carried  out 
with  the  utmost  good-humour,  and  when 
either  side  is  tired,  the  others  are  quite 
willing  to  stop  fighting  until  their  opponents 
feel  refreshed ;  they  would  not  think  of 
taking  a  mean  advantage  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. 

If  a  man  is  speared,  his  friends  are  allowed 
to  carry  him  ofiP  the  field,  and  unless  there 
is  bitter  hatred  between  the  clans  the  fight 
is  not  continued  on  that  day. 

No  clan  would  dream  of  molesting  a  woman 
belonging  to  the  opposing  force.  She  might 
with  perfect  safety  walk  between  the  com- 
batants,   and    is    even    allowed    to    pass  in 


2  86    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

safety  through  the  enemy's  territory,  taking 
her  husband's  goats  or  other  possessions  to 
some  place  of  safety. 

Indeed,  considering  the  conditions  of  life 
in  Masaba,  it  is  a  wonderful  fact  that  women 
are  very  much  respected.  They  hold  a  much 
higher  position  in  the  country  than  was  the 
case  only  a  few  years  ago  in  Uganda,  and 
is  to-day  in  Usoga  and  other  countries  in 
the  Lake  district.  The  Masaba  women  do 
not  rank  with  the  goods  and  chattels,  but 
receive  respect  in  youth  and  honour  in  old  age. 

The  spirit  of  independence  has  been  mark- 
edly developed  in  the  people,  no  doubt  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  nation  is  not  organised 
under  one  head,  and  the  consequent  necessity 
for  each  person  to  look  after  himself  or 
herself.  A  child  will  defend  with  its  life  its 
own  small  property,  perhaps  a  single  fowl, 
and  dare  its  father  to  use  it  for  himself.  A 
wife  will  deeply  resent  any  claim  of  owner- 
ship over  her  made  by  her  husband,  yet  will 
be  strictly  loyal  to  him  until  he  begins  to 
neglect  her  claims  and  rights. 

It  is  sometimes  necessary  for  the  husband 
to  assert  himself  in  a  manner  painful  yet 
salutary  to  his  wife ;  but  when  the  woman 
has  been  in  the  right,  and  has  taken  steps 
to  defend  herself,  her   methods    are  usually 


Maintaining  Women's  Rights  289 

so  drastic  that  an  operation  or  funeral  is 
necessary  to  the  husband. 

Such  cases  I  have  had  brought  to  my 
notice,  and  must  confess  that  in  one  such  I 
found  it  quite  difficult  to  impress  the  lady 
with  the  wrongness  of  sticking  a  knife  into 
her  husband's  back,  within  an  inch  of  his 
spine,  for  she  was  quite  convinced  that  he 
deserved  it,  and  had  an  idea  that  I  thought 
so  too.  She  promised,  however,  not  to  do  it 
again,  and  gladly  left  her  husband  in  my  care 
until  cured. 

The  system  of  polygamy  is  not  responsible 
for  the  amount  of  domestic  trouble  it  is 
generally  supposed  to  engender.  Each  wife 
has  her  own  house,  the  framework  of  which 
is  built  by  the  man  and  his  friends,  whilst 
the  lady  and  her  friends  carefully  mud  the 
walls  and  beat  the  floor.  Outside  this  house 
are  one  or  two  grain  stores,  where  the  lady 
stores  up  the  last  grain  harvest  as  a  safe- 
guard against  a  prolonged  dry  season  when 
the  banana  supply  gives  out. 

Sometimes,  however,  a  spirit  of  jealousy 
creeps  in  between  wives,  and  then  nothing 
goes  right.  Each  wife  is  on  the  watch  for 
any  act  of  the  husband  that  can  be  construed 
as  favouritism,  and  the  slighted  one  begins  to 
plan  revenge. 


290    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

In  one  case  the  husband  was  made  to 
suffer,  when,  after  a  day's  outing  at  some 
drinking  party,  he  returned  and  demanded 
admittance  to  the  house  of  his  slighted  wife. 
They  quarrelled  as  to  who  should  open  the 
door,  they  fought  when  he  got  inside,  and 
when,  overcome  with  drink,  he  sat  down 
dozing  at  the  fire,  the  woman  was  so  carried 
away  by  her  mad  passion  that  she  crept  up 
behind  and  killed  him  there  with  his  own 
axe. 

In  another  case,  the  two  women  came  to 
extremes  after  bickering  and  insulting  each 
other  for  weeks.  The  favourite  wife  invited 
the  other  to  fight  the  matter  out  fairly 
before  witnesses,  but  the  witnesses  happened 
to  sympathise  with  the  other  wife ;  con- 
sequently they  held  the  favourite  whilst  the 
second  wife  tried  to  cut  her  head  off  with 
a  large  knife.  The  woman  was  terribly  cut, 
but  she  got  off  and  raised  her  clan,  who  first 
of  all  sought  the  weak  husband  and  mur- 
derous wife  before  bringing  the  injured  woman 
to  be  attended  to  at  our  dispensary. 

Although  the  spirit  of  independence  is  so 
marked,  even  in  the  young,  there  is  no  lack 
of  parental  authority.  This  is  no  doubt  due 
to  the  power  of  a  father's  curse.  The  word 
"  Kutsuba "  is  dreaded,  for  to  "  Kutsuba,"  or 


The  Power  of  a  Curse  291 


curse,  one's  child  is  the  severest  punishment 
a  father  can  bestow.  The  son  so  dealt  with 
becomes  a  wanderer,  not  because  his  father 
has  cast  him  out,  but  because  he  believes  in 
the  power  of  the  curse,  and  by  the  action  of 
his  own  mind  brings  upon  himself  what  his 
father's  words  would  have  been  totally  incapable 
of — utter  destitution  of  health  and  wealth. 

He  roams  from  place  to  place,  unable  to 
fix  his  attention  for  long  upon  anything.  He 
takes  pleasure  in  nothing,  and  even  when 
married  he  will  leave  his  wife  and  all  belong- 
ings and  periodically  disappear. 

This  punishment  is  given  to  a  son  for  gross 
impertinence  to  or  for  threatening  a  father ; 
and  to  a  daughter  for  marrying  without  a 
marriage  arrangement,  before  her  father  has 
received  the  usual  number  of  cattle. 

In  the  daughter's  case  the  punishment  falls 
heavily  upon  her  husband  and  herself,  for 
she  will  either  be  childless  or  her  children 
will  die  at  or  soon  after  birth.  Case  after 
case  has  been  pointed  out  to  me  where  my 
informants  declared  the  curse  had  indeed 
had  this  effect,  and  one  couple  I  know  quite 
well  have  recently  taken  steps  to  have  the 
curse  removed  after  losing  three  children,  one 
after  the  other.  Such  is  the  influence  of  mind 
over  matter. 


292    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

The  removal  of  the  curse  is  effected  by  the 
son  or  daughter,  as  the  case  might  be,  bring- 
ing to  the  father  a  goat  or  sheep  which  is 
killed  and  eaten  by  the  two  most  nearly 
concerned  in  the  matter,  and  all  their  friends 
and  relations.  During  the  feast  the  father 
takes  the  contents  of  the  animal's  stomach 
and  with  them  smears  his  son  or  daughter, 
who  goes  forth  to  show  all  the  clan  that  the 
curse  has  been  removed. 

Many  of  the  Masaba  customs,  such  as  the 
one  just  mentioned,  are  exceedingly  curious, 
and  the  people  cannot  give  or  suggest  a 
reason  for  them.  They  have  another,  well 
worth  mentioning,  the  meaning  of  which  is, 
I  think,  quite  conceivable  to  European  minds. 

When  two  clans  have  been  engaged  in  war, 
and  each  has  tried  in  vain  for  the  mastery, 
they  decide  to  make  a  compact  which  no  man 
or  woman  would  dream  of  breaking. 

A  dog  is  brought  to  the  boundary  and 
there  cut  in  two,  where  so  many  fights  have 
taken  place.  One  half  is  placed  on  the  land 
of  one  clan,  and  the  other  half  on  the  land  of 
the  other  clan,  and  the  warriors  of  each  clan 
march  in  procession  between  the  two  halves, 
which  are  then  spurned  by  both  parties. 

There  is  much  hand-shaking  and  merriment, 
and  from  that  time  the  clans  are  friendly. 


A  Unique  Compact  293 

There  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  idea  at 
the  root  of  this  custom  is  the  wish  that 
whoever  breaks  the  compact  may  have  an 
end  like  the  dog — disowned,  cut  in  two,  and 
spurned. 


15 


CHAPTER  XIV 


LIFE  AND  WORK  AMONGST  CANNIBALS 


Lost  near  Mount  Elgon — Quaint  figures — Clothing  despised — 
Invalid  missionaries — A  cheap  house — Human  hyaenas — 
The  place  of  departed  spirits  —  Burial  customs  —  The 
gathering  of  the  clans — The  coming  of  Roman  Catholics — 
Laying  out  a  station — Native  kindness — Progress — A 
unique  church  dedication  —  Variety  of  work  —  Healing 
powers  of  nature — First  baptisms. 

TN  September,  1903,  my  wife  and  I  found 


-L  ourselves  hot,  hungry,  and  very  tired, 
struggling  through  banana  gardens  in  the 
country  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Elgon,  and 
making  for  a  hillock  which  seemed  to  be 
further  away  every  time  we  caught  a  glimpse 


Our  porters  had  lost  the  way  and  we  were 
alone,  yet  not  as  much  alone  as  we  could 
have  wished,  for  almost  at  every  step  we 
took  we  had  evidence  of  company  that  at 
the  time  was  not  much  to  our  liking. 


of  it. 


A  Trying  Journey  297 

A  tall,  impressive  figure,  naked  but  for  a 
dressed  goat-skin,  and  armed  with  one  or 
two  spears,  would  stand  and  look  at  us,  utter 
a  few  words  that  were  unintelligible,  and 
then  disappear.  Then  a  group  of  men  and 
women  with  less  clothing  than  we  had  ever 
conceived  it  possible  for  human  beings  to 
wear  in  public,  forced  their  attentions  upon 
us,  but  were  unable  to  make  us  under- 
stand their  welcome  or  direct  us  to  our 
destination. 

A  few  more  miles  had  been  covered,  and 
the  hill  we  were  making  for  seemed  as  far 
off  as  ever,  when  two  youths,  absolutely  nude 
and  armed  with  long  sticks,  introduced  them- 
selves to  us  with  loud  laughter  and  much 
gesticulation.  They  made  us  understand  that 
they  would  guide  us  to  our  destination, 
and  we  meekly  followed  at  a  much  slower 
speed  than  they  were  evidently  accustomed 
to ;  but  this  no  doubt  gave  them  greater 
opportunity  than  they  would  otherwise  have 
had  of  explaining  to  all  onlookers  who 
they  thought  we  were,  and  how  nearly  we 
were  related  to  them  since  they  were  our 
guides. 

They  did  not  disappoint  us,  for  after  what 
seemed  an  interminable  journey,  we  saw 
evidence    of    civilisation,    and    hurried  with 


298   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

lighter  hearts  towards  a  distant  umbrella. 
Imagine  our  disgust  and  disappointment  to 
find  that  it  covered  an  aspiring  African 
escorted  by  a  crowd  of  admirers,  who  were 
far  more  interested  in  this  native  parade  than 
in  the  advent  of  two  Europeans. 

A  few  yards,  however,  brought  us  to  the 
euphorbia  fence  of  what  was  to  be  our  home, 
and  there  we  met  the  two  English  mission- 
aries, the  Rev.  W.  A.  and  Mrs.  Crabtree,  who, 
some  time  before,  had  come  out  from  Uganda 
to  have  a  holiday  in  this  district,  with  the 
Uganda  chief,  Semei  Kakungulu,  and  were  so 
impressed  with  the  needs  and  opportunities 
in  this  part  of  the  world,  that  they  did  not 
go  back  to  Uganda,  but  stayed  on  in  Masaba, 
lived  in  the  chief's  house  after  he  had  left 
the  place,  made  friends  with  the  people,  and 
generally  prepared  the  way  for  us. 

I  found  them  both  broken  in  health,  and 
speedily  got  porters  together  to  take  them 
to  rail-head  at  Kisumu,  a  distance  of  a 
hundred  miles. 

When  Mr.  Crabtree  heard  of  our  location 
to  Masaba  he  got  the  natives  to  prepare 
quarters  for  us.  A  small,  round  hut  which 
had  served  as  a  small-pox  hospital  was  put 
in  order  for  our  boys,  and  a  shed  which  had 
been    erected    to    keep    the    sun    off  some 


A  Cheap  House  299 


visitor's  tent  was  made  into  a  house  by  the 
Masaba  women  filling  in  the  sides  and  ends 
with  wet  mud.  A  hole  was  left  to  serve  as 
window,  and  another  as  doorway,  and  these 
were  covered  at  night-time,  and  when  it 
rained — as  the  rainy  season  was  on,  it  seemed 
to  be  always  raining  —  by  doors  made  of 
reeds. 

I  have  never  yet  dared  to  ask  my  wife 
what  she  thought  when  on  that  first  evening 
I  led  her  into  that  shed  and  told  her  we 
should  have  to  live  there  for  some  little  time. 
My  own  feelings  were  somewhat  intense, 
for  what  I  had  treated  as  a  joke  when  I 
heard  that  an  application  had  been  sent  to 
headquarters  for  1  rupee  (Is.  4d.),  the  cost 
of  my  house,  I  now  realised  was  grim 
reality. 

The  walls  were  wet,  the  mud  had  not  even 
begun  to  crack  as  a  sign  that  it  was  drying ; 
the  floor  was  considerably  lower  than  the  out- 
side earth,  and  a  convenient  ant-hill  just  out- 
side the  door  turned  all  the  water  into  the 
house.  I  was — well,  I  had  better  not  say  what 
I  was  ! — and  my  feelings  were  not  relieved  when 
my  wife  complained  of  headache,  and  in  spite 
of  every  precaution,  eventually  went  down  with 
a  temperature  of  103°. 

We  removed  her  to  the  Crabtrees'  house,  a 


300  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

small  mud  and  thatched  affair,  bequeathed  to 
Mr.  Crabtree  by  a  native  chief. 

Infested  though  it  was  with  rats  and  snakes, 
and  responsible  no  doubt  for  the  ill-health  of 
our  predecessors,  it  was  incomparably  better 
than  the  wet  shed  outside. 

Our  first  care  was  to  cut  down  the  thick 
fence  of  euphorbia,  which  gave  to  the  place 
the  aspect  of  a  fort. 

The  Bamasaba  were  delighted  to  think  that 
we  were  not  afraid  of  them,  and  were  willing 
for  them  to  come  about  us  at  all  hours.  They 
wondere.d  what  would  be  the  next  move  ;  and 
I  did  not  leave  them  long  in  doubt,  for  sus- 
picious smells  had  been  troubling  us  until  we 
could  stand  them  no  longer,  and  having  decided 
to  follow  one  up,  I  soon  found  out  the  reason 
of  all  the  others ;  the  natives  of  Masaba  do 
not  as  a  rule  bury  their  dead,  and  the  long 
grass  surrounding  our  house  was  a  most 
convenient  place  in  which  to  deposit  the 
corpses. 

The  condition  of  the  atmosphere  immediately 
near  us  before  that  long  grass  was  removed  may 
be  faintly  imagined,  yet  would  have  been 
infinitely  worse  but  for  the  work  of  human 
hyaenas  who  leave  very  little  for  the  four-legged 
animal. 

The  custom  of  throwing  out  the  dead  is 


BAGISHU  MARRIED  WOMEN. 
301 


The  Place  of  Departed  Spirits  303 

universal  among  all  the  clans  of  Bagishu, 
except  in  the  case  of  the  youngest  child  or 
the  old  grandfather  or  grandmother,  for  whom, 
like  the  child,  a  prolonged  life  on  earth  is 
desired. 

As  a  general  rule,  it  is  believed  that  when 
the  spirit  leaves  the  body  it  goes  to  Makombe, 
the  place  of  departed  spirits,  which  is  a  very 
similar  place  to  this  earth,  for  there  men  meet 
all  friends  who  have  gone  before,  and  come 
once  more  into  possession,  even  if  they  have 
to  fight  for  them,  of  all  cattle  that  once  be- 
longed to  them,  but  had  died  or  been  killed. 

The  hills  of  Makombe  are  beautiful,  providing 
luxuriant  and  everlasting  pasture,  and  death 
is  quite  unknown.  It  is  sometimes  said  that 
Were  (God)  is  the  great  ruling  spirit  of 
Makombe. 

When  it  is  desired  to  perpetuate  on  the  earth 
the  life  of  some  old  man  or  woman,  or  that 
of  some  young  baby,  the  corpse  is  buried  inside 
the  house  or  just  under  the  eaves,  until  another 
child  is  born  to  the  nearest  relation  of  the 
corpse.  This  child,  male  or  female,  takes  the 
name  of  the  corpse,  and  the  Bagishu  firmly 
believe  that  the  spirit  of  the  dead  has  passed 
into  this  new  child  and  lives  again  on  earth. 
The  remains  are  then  dug  up  and  thrown  out 
into  the  open. 


304  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

The  hyaena  is  the  chief  scavenger  of  Masaba, 
and  is  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  the  people.  It  is 
not  classified  in  the  language  as  other  animals, 
but  has  received  a  name  which  puts  it  on  a 
level  with  persons. 

The  work  of  clearing  the  ground  for  a  mission 
station  was  a  big  task,  but  the  people  under- 
took it  willingly  when  they  realised  that  I 
meant  to  pay  them  for  their  work.  Large 
crowds  came  each  day,  and  if  only  they  had 
really  worked  the  whole  place  would  have  been 
cleared  in  a  very  short  time.  But  different 
clans  had  to  exchange  compliments  or  epithets 
that  were  anything  but  complimentary,  and  it 
sometimes  looked  as  if  the  mission  station  was 
about  to  be  turned  into  common  ground  where 
long-standing  clan  disputes  were  to  be  settled 
by  any  and  every  means. 

Expostulation  by  a  European  who  could  hardly 
make  himself  understood  went  for  very  little, 
but  a  threat  to  give  no  pay — the  currency  was 
small  white  beads — for  that  day  generally  in- 
duced them  to  do  a  little  work. 

On  the  whole  the  Bagishu  worked  regularly 
until  a  more  serious  interruption  than  usual 
took  place,  namely,  the  advent  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Mission.  They  had  built  a  small  shed, 
a  mile  from  our  station,  when  the  C.M.S. 
missionary    Crabtree  took    up    residence  at 


A  Roman  Invasion  305 


Masaba,  but  they  had  never  permanently  oc- 
cupied it.  Now,  however,  the  bishop  and 
two  priests  came  to  inaugurate  a  more  per- 
manent settlement,  one  mile  from  my  door, 
on  the  land  of  the  same  clan;  and  that 
although  there  was  no  other  mission  station 
for  a  hundred  miles  to  the  south,  some 
hundreds  of  miles  to  the  east,  and  thou- 
sands of  miles  to  the  north,  all  teeming  with 
population. 

The  priests  had  to  do  what  they  were  told, 
but  undoubtedly  they  realised  as  I  did  the 
sad  pity  of  such  a  move,  which  tended  to 
degrade  the  mission  of  Christ's  professed 
disciples  to  the  level  of  trade  competition. 

There  was  much  to  try  us,  for  the  natives 
are  cute  enough  to  play  one  European  off 
against  another,  if  possible ;  but  we  laid  our- 
selves out  to  understand  each  other,  and  as 
a  result  became  fast  friends. 

In  May,  1907,  I  journeyed  from  Masaba  to 
Uganda.  I  had  been  down  with  a  slight  attack 
of  blackwater  fever  early  in  the  year,  and  got 
out  of  bed  to  make  the  journey.  Ill  and 
wretched,  I  called  on  the  Roman  Catholic  priest, 
Father  Kirk,  at  Budaka,  and  he  would  fain 
have  had  me  stay  with  him  until  I  felt  better ; 
but  I  determined  to  push  on,  and  was  much 
touched  and  grateful  when  later  in  the  day  a 


3o6   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

messenger  from  Father  Kirk  came  into  my 
camp  with  some  milk  and  a  bottle  of  wine. 
I  was  not  destined  to  see  him  again,  but 
I  wrote  my  thanks,  and  since  coming  to 
England  have  received  a  letter  from  the 
priests  in  "Bukedi,"  full  of  kindly  sympathy 
at  my  being  invalided  and  speaking  much  too 
generously  of  the  work  God  enabled  me  to  do 
in  that  land. 

I  know,  too,  how  grateful  my  wife  is  to 
Father  Spere,  of  Masaba,  for  his  kind  sympathy 
and  help  when  I  lay  ill  in  Uganda,  and  my 
fellow-worker,  Mr.  Holden,  was  enjoying  (!)  a 
temperature  of  104°  at  Masaba.  The  Roman 
Catholic  priests  and  the  strongly  Evangelical 
yet  Catholic  C.M.S.  missionaries  at  Masaba, 
and  I  am  certain  in  other  parts  of  Africa,  live 
and  work  happily  together  because  they  realise 
that  the  true  issues  of  life  do  not  depend  on 
minor  shibboleths.  Without  trespassing  on 
private  judgment  and  opinions,  we  learn  to 
know  and  respect  each  other's  work  for  some- 
thing like  its  true  value. 

Eventually  a  large  clearing  was  made,  roads 
laid  out,  and  a  mission  station  planned  which 
would  contain  a  church,  schools,  dispensary, 
teachers'  houses,  house  for  boarders,  house 
for  European  in  charge  of  district  with  ac- 
commodation* for  visitors,    house    for  Euro- 


True  Gentility  309 

pean  ladies,  and  house  for  second  European 
man. 

All  this  entailed  a  feature  quite  novel  to 
the  life  and  custom  of  Masaba — persistent,  con- 
secutive work  ;  and  I  was  repeatedly  warned 
that  to  try  and  get  the  clans  to  work  to- 
gether was  to  attempt  the  impossible.  How- 
ever, I  attempted  it  with  the  most  gratifying 
results,  for  as  soon  as  they  realised  that  I 
was  not  there  to  force  them  to  work,  and 
would  pay  them  for  their  labour,  hundreds 
came  with  poles  and  wattles,  fibre  for  thatch- 
ing, to  stamp  mud  for  walls,  to  carry  stones 
for  foundations,  to  build  a  house  in  the  hills, 
to  go  with  me  on  the  march  whenever  neces- 
sary ;  and  when  the  first  brick  house  was 
built,  some  three  hundred  Bagishu  went  to 
Jinja,  a  distance  of  a  hundred  miles,  with  a 
native  headman,  and  brought  the  corrugated 
iron  for  the  roof. 

All  this  time  we  were  making  friends  with 
the  people,  and  many  evidences  of  friendship 
they  gave  us.  I  well  remember  how,  on  one 
occa^.on,  when,  because  of  a  long  drought, 
famine  was  sore  in  the  land,  and  our  native 
teachers  and  house-boys  were  wondering  what 
they  would  eat,  a  native  chief — head  of  his 
family — Wanyonyobolo  by  name,  marched  up 
to  our  house,  followed  by  more  than  a  hundred 


3IO  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


people,  each  one  carrying  a  small  basket  filled 
with  peas  and  beans,  which  they  had  treasured 
up  from  the  last  harvest  for  such  a  time  of 
need. 

This  raw  native,  with  true  gentlemanly 
instincts,  quietly  asked  a  boy  where  they 
could  deposit  their  present,  and  having 
been  told,  they  took  themselves  off,  without 
even  so  much  as  *'  how  do  you  do  ? "  to  the 
European. 

This  kindness  was  repeated  again  and  again 
by  people  who  knew  that  I  had  made  a  rule 
to  send  away  again  with  their  gifts  those  who 
came  with  ulterior  motives. 

It  is  said  that  the  ulterior  motive  is  never 
far  from  the  African ;  well,  perhaps  not,  but 
the  present  condition  of  European  social  ameni- 
ties, such,  for  instance,  as  the  close  connection 
between  a  wedding  invitation  and  a  wedding 
present,  or  the  quid  pro  quo  now  being 
demanded  with  loud-mouthed  threats  by  the 
brewers  from  the  bishops,  prevent  our  throw- 
ing anything  that  might  expose  to  attack  our 
own  glass  houses. 

The  Church  Missionary  Society  sets  its  face 
dead  against  the  *'  no  blanketi  no  Hallelujah" 
type  of  Christian,  and  the  Bagishu  of  Masaba 
did  not  come  to  us  for  what  they  could  get. 

For  some  time  we  gathered  a  few  people 


A  Unique  Congregation  311 

together  daily  in  a  small  shed  for  instruction 
and  worship,  but  this  building  was  soon  too 
small,  and  through  the  great  kindness  of  our 
Bishop,  Dr.  Tucker,  we  erected  a  building  to 
hold  four  hundred  people. 

The  day  appointed  for  the  formal  opening 
of  this  building  was  wet,  cold,  and  dreary ; 
but  these  wild,  naked  people  crowded  in  from 
hill  and  dale,  and  must  have  presented  a 
weird  spectacle  to  their  loving  Bishop,  who 
has  always  been  much  interested  in  Masaba,  to 
the  Venerable  Archdeacon  Walker,  of  Uganda, 
and  to  the  Rev.  T.  R.  Buckley,  now  Archdeacon 
of  Usoga,  who  had  cycled  over  to  be  with  the 
Bishop  and  myself  at  the  opening. 

The  building  is  so  arranged  that  the  men 
use  one  door  and  the  women  another.  Two 
men  are  appointed  as  churchwardens,  and 
they  regulate  the  incoming  and  outgoing  of 
the  people.  All  spears,  knives,  sticks,  and 
pipes  are  given  up  at  the  door  and  returned 
at  the  close  of  the  service. 

On  the  day  of  the  opening  the  wardens 
refused  to  take  responsibility  for  sticks,  so 
great  was  the  crowd,  and  I  well  remember  the 
amazement  of  the  Bishop  at  the  pile  of  sticks 
outside  the  church  door,  and  the  wonderfully 
good-natured  scramble  for  them  at  the  close 
of  the  service.     From  that  day  a  short  ser- 


312   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

vice  has  been  held  each  morning  in  the  build- 
ing, and  daily  morning  and  afternoon  school 
at  which  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  singing, 
and  sewing  has  been  taught. 

For  nearly  two  years  my  wife  and  I  were 
alone,  but  the  demands  of  the  school,  dis- 
pensary, visiting,  building,  and  language  work 
became  very  heavy,  and  a  European  lady. 
Miss  Pilgrim,  a  qualified  nurse,  sensible  woman 
and  true  missionary,  was  sent  to  help  us. 

It  is  almost  if  not  wholly  impossible  for 
people  at  home  to  realise  the  variety  of  work 
one  may  be  called  upon  to  perform  at  such 
a  station.  Imagine  a  clergyman  at  home 
being  called  upon  at  the  close  of  the  morn- 
ing's service  to  perform  an  operation  on  a 
youth  whose  head  had  been  terribly  mauled 
by  a  leopard,  summoned  from  lunch  to 
amputate  a  finger,  or  hauled  out  of  bed  at 
night  to  stop  a  fight  and  dress  the  wounded  ! 

The  most  interesting  surgical  cases  are 
brought  to  one's  notice  in  such  a  country, 
and  I  should  like  to  mention  one  of  special 
note.  A  man  who  joined  with  others  in  some 
attack  was  speared  in  the  abdomen  and  carried 
home,  presumably  to  die.  After  some  days  I 
was  asked  to  visit  him,  and  found  that  his 
bowel  was  pierced.  I  had  him  brought  to  the 
dispensary,   where    the   wound   was  cleansed 


Natural  Surgery  315 

from  what  appeared  to  be  a  filthy  application 
of  native  herbs  and  cowdung;  the  nurse  also 
verified  the  diagnosis  that  the  bowel  was  per- 
forated, and  the  man  said  he  knew  it  was  so, 
and  was  careful  as  to  what  he  ate.  The  case 
was  hopeless  from  our  point  of  view,  and  we 
told  him  so,  but  expressed  our  willingness  to 
do  all  we  could  for  him.  He  expressed  his 
gratitude,  but  said  he  would  go  on  with  the 
native  medicine,  and  we  were  positively  amazed 
to  find  that  he  got  gradually  better,  and  is  now 
quite  well. 

After  seeing  such  a  case,  one  is  tempted  to 
ask,  Why  is  it  that  we  Westerns  have  been 
civilised  beyond  such  powers  of  natural  healing? 

The  dispensary  and  school  work  continued 
to  grow,  and  two  more  missionaries  were 
added  to  our  staff — a  lady  from  Australia, 
Miss  McNamara,  and  Mr.  Walter  Holden,  from 
England. 

My  own  time  was  now  taken  up  with  lan- 
guage work,  building,  and  occasionally  visiting 
other  parts  of  my  district.  A  temporary 
church,  used  also  as  a  girls'  school,  a  boys' 
school,  a  house  for  teachers  and  boarders,  a 
brick  dispensary,  a  brick  house  with  corru- 
gated iron  roof  for  the  missionary  in  charge, 
and  a  brick  house  for  a  second  man  were 
completed.    A  brick  house  for  ladies  was  built 


3i6  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

to  the  top  of  the  windows,  a  site  prepared 
for  the  permanent  brick  church,  a  football 
ground  cleared,  and  on  Christmas  Day,  1906, 
I  had  the  unspeakable  pleasure  of  baptizing 
the  first  Bagishu,  and  of  receiving  them  into 
the  visible  Church  of  Christ. 


CHAPTER  XV 


LANGUAGE  DIFFICULTIES 

Preliminary  difficulties — Publication  of  the  Lumasaba  Grammar 
— A  primitive  language — Legend  about  Victoria  Nyanza 
Bantu  group — Comparative  study  advised — Bantu  language 
characteristics — Confusing  similarity  in  Luganda — Perfect 
grammatical  construction  —  Eich  vocabulary  —  How  to 
express  abstract  ideas — A  faithful  lad — A  prayer-  and  hymn- 
book — Idiomatic  phrases — Politeness. 

THERE  were  many  difficulties  to  contend 
with  that  at  first  sight  seemed  to  me 
insurmountable,  and  the  greatest  of  them  was 
the  language. 

Mr.  Crabtree,  a  recognised  linguist,  was 
unable  to  help  me  as  he  would  have  desired, 
but  he  placed  at  my  disposal  what  little  he 
had  done  in  Lugishu,  and  with  this  help  I 
was  content  to  go  on  until  a  lull  in  building 
operations,  the  advent  of  new  missionaries, 
and  my  own  ear  told  me  I  must  go  deeper 
into  linguistic  matters. 

16  317 


3i8   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

In  the  country  of  Uganda  such  a  desire  for 
knowledge  has  only  to  be  expressed  by  the 
new-comer  from  Europe  to  receive  every 
encouragement  from  the  people.  Careful, 
kindly,  polite,  and  able,  the  Uganda  man  or 
woman  will  answer  questions  and  guide  one 
over  pitfalls.  How  different  in  the  country 
of  Masaba !  Almost  every  question  was 
answered  by  a  look  of  amazement,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "  What  in  the  world  is  he 
after  ? "  or  a  loud  guffaw  of  laughter,  as 
if  they  much  enjoyed  my  endeavour  to  be 
funny. 

Yet  they  were  not  slow  to  protest  most 
vigorously  against  the  translations  used.  On 
one  occasion  an  indignation  meeting  was  held 
and  a  protest  was  sent  to  me  against  reading 
a  certain  word  in  church,  and  a  plain  intima- 
tion that  if  it  continued  the  women  would  not 
attend. 

I  called  the  people  together,  told  them  how 
anxious  I  was  to  use  correct  words,  but  unless 
they  helped  me  by  answering  questions  when- 
ever I  asked  for  meanings,  names,  &c.,  I  could 
not  get  on. 

From  that  time  I  had  less  difficulty,  and 
worked  continuously  at  the  compilation  of  a 
dictionary  and  the  general  construction  of  the 
language. 


A  Lumasaba  Grammar  319 


Any  one  will  understand  something  of  the 
difficulties  one  had  to  contend  with  in  trying 
to  master  the  details  of  grammar  in  a 
language  not  hitherto  reduced;  but  every  one 
conversant  with  the  construction  of  Bantu 
languages  will  understand  that  since  Luma- 
saba is  a  Bantu  tongue,  I  had  some  general 
rules  to  go  upon. 

I  completed  the  Lumasaba  Grammar  in  Holy 
Week,  1907,  and  at  the  end  of  the  same  year 
the  work  was  published  by  that  great  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  English  Church  known 
as  the  S.P.C.K.  (Society  for  Promoting  Chris- 
tian Knowledge). 

In  the  Introduction  to  that  work  I  say, 
"There  seems  little  doubt  but  that  in  the 
country  of  Masaba,  i.e.,  the  land  on  and  near 
Mount  Elgon,  we  have  the  most  primitive 
language  of  what  might  well  be  called  the 
Victoria  Nyanza  Bantu  group." 

There  is  undoubtedly  something  more  than 
legend  in  the  story  that  long,  long  ago  a 
vast  body  of  people,  probably  Gallas,*  led 
by  two  brothers,  came  from  the  east  and 
settled  for  a  time  at  Masaba.  Here  they 
discussed  the  direction  of  their  further  wan- 
derings, and  it  was  finally  decided  to  go  off 
north-east. 

*  A.    .  Keane's  "  Ethnology,"  second  edition. 


320   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

At  Bugondo,  a  large  hill  in  the  Teso  country, 
overlooking  Lake  Kyoga,  and  from  which  can 
be  seen  the  countries  of  Usoga,  Unyoro,  and 
Uganda,  there  are  pits  pointed  out  from  which 
the  natives  declare  these  early  wanderers 
quarried  the  ore  with  which  to  provide  iron 
for  their  weapons. 

After  a  stay  at  Bugondo  it  was  agreed  to 
separate.  The  elder  brother,  Lukidi,  crossed 
Lake  Kyoga  and  took  possession  of  Unyoro, 
while  Kintu  crossed  to  Usoga,  where  he 
settled  his  nephew,  and  then  went  on  to 
Uganda,  where  his  name  is  still  well  known 
in  connection  with  legends  dealing  with  the 
beginning  of  things  in  that  country. 

Probably  large  numbers  of  the  Negroid 
natives  of  Masaba  joined  the  Hamitic  invaders 
and  went  off  with  them  westward,  whilst 
other  Bantu  Negroids  are  said  to  have  gone 
off  independently  toward  the  south,  settling 
throughout  Kavirondo  and  still  farther  on ; 
and  some  few  more  daring  spirits  are  accre- 
dited with  having  crossed  the  Lake  Victoria 
to  Uganda. 

Certain  it  is,  there  seems  a  wonderful  rela- 
tionship, which  can  scarcely  be  wholly  due  to 
the  similarity  of  construction  that  exists  in  all 
Bantu  tongues,  between  Lumasaba,  Lukavi- 
rondo,  and  Lusukuma  towards  the  south,  and 


Perfect  Classification  321 


between  Lumasaba  and  Lugwere  (old  Lusoga), 
Lunyoro,  and  Luganda. 

It  remains  but  to  compare  the  dialects 
spoken  in  the  districts  of  Ketosh,  Bunyuli, 
Bugwere,  Bulamogi,  and  South-east  Kyagwe, 
North  Bulondaganyi,  and  the  shores  of  Lake 
Kyoga,  to  find  the  stages  of  transition. 

Such  a  comparative  study  would,  I  am  cer- 
tain, well  repay  the  effort ;  but  I  can  refer  to 
it  only  incidentally,  in  order  to  make  known 
a  striking  peculiarity  in  Lumasaba. 

Learners  are  always  reminded  the  "  one  cha- 
racteristic of  Bantu  grammatical  structure  is 
that  nouns  have  prefixes  according  to  classes." 
As  the  languages  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza  Bantu 
group  are  at  present  used,  this  is  not  strictly 
correct,  for  no  learner  can  possibly  differentiate 
by  the  class  prefix  the  singular  of  Class  I. 
from  the  singular  of  Class  II.,  or  the  plural  of 
Class  III.  from  the  singular  of  the  same  class, 
or  the  plural  of  Class  VI.  from  the  plural  of 
Class  III. ;  and  it  is  not  until  the  pronominal 
concords  are  known  that  nouns  can  be  correctly 
classified. 

This  confusing  similarity  in  substantival 
class  forms,  but  clear  differentiation  of  classes 
in  pronominal  agreements,  is  a  real  difficulty 
to  one  trying  to  learn  Luganda,  for  the 
noun  is  often  represented  pronominally  by  a 


32  2   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

form  quite  foreign  to  the  known  substantival 
form,  e.g.  ; — 


Noun. 


S.  omunta,  a  man 

P.  abantu,  the  men 

S.  omuti,  a  tree 

P.  emiti,  the  trees 

S.  ente,  a  cow 

P.  ente,  the  cows 

S.  ekintu,  a  thing 

P.    ebintu,  the 

things 
S.  ejinja,  a  stone 

P.   amainja,  the 

stones 
S.  olugoye,  a  cloth 

P.    engoye,  the 
cloths 


Poss.  Pron.  Form. 


wange  (the  man) 

of  me 
bangs,  they  of  me 

gwange,  mine  or  it 

of  me 
gyange,  mine  or 

they  of  me 
yange 

zange 

kyange 

byange 

lyange 

gange 

Iwange 

zange 


Pron.  Form. 


bamulese,  they  have 

brought  him 
babalese,  they  have 

brought  them 
bagulese,  they  have 

brought  it 
bagilese,  they  have 

brought  them 
bagilese,  they  have 

brought  it 
bazilese,  they  have 

brought  them 
bakilese,  they  have 

brought  it 
babilese,  they  have 

brought  them 
balilese,  they  have 

brought  it 
bagalese,  they  have 

brought  them 
balulese,  they  have 

brought  it 
bazilese,  they  have 

brought  them 


So  far  as  I  am  aware,  no  hint  has  ever  been 
given  as  to  why,  to  take  one  case  only,  the 
pronominal  forms  of  Class  II.  should  be  "  gu  " 
and  "  gi " ;  and,  bearing  in  mind  the  difficulty  to 
account  for  the  initial  vowel,  I  have  dared  to 
think  that  the  substantival  class  forms  found 
in  the  Victoria  Nyanza  Bantu  group  are  not 


Lumasaba  Class  Forms  323 


now  in  their  original  perfect  forms ;  and,  as 
evidence  in  favour  of  this  opinion,  I  most 
respectfully  ask  the  attention  of  all  interested 
in  "Bantu"  to  the  class  forms  used  by  these 
primitive  mountain  people,  the  Bagishu,  or 
Bamasaba : — 


Glass. 

Noun. 

PosB.  Pron.  Form. 

Pron.  Form. 

I. 

S.  umundu,  a  man 

wase 

bamurerere 

P.  babandu 

base 

babarerere 

II. 

S.  kmnubano,  a  knife 

kwase 

bakurerere 

P.  kimibano 

kyase 

kakirerere 

III. 

S.  ingafu,  a  cow 

yase 
tsase 

bakirerere 

P.  tsingafu 

batsirerere 

IV. 

S.  kikindu,  a  thing 

kyase 

bakirerere 

P.  bibindu 

byase 

babirerere 

V. 

S.  libali,  a  stone 

lyase 

balirerere 

P.  kamabali 

kase 

bakarerere 

VI. 

S.   lugoye,  a  piece 

Iwase 

balurerere 

of  bark 

P.  tsingoye 

tsase 

batsirerere 

I  have  purposely  chosen  for  comparison  the  first 
six  classes  only,  because  the  remaining  classes 
are  subordinate ;  but  these  are  sufficient  to 
show  the  enormous  value  to  the  Lumasaba 
language  of  the  prefixes,  not  found  in  this  com- 
plete form,  so  far  as  I  can  find  in  any  other 
Bantu  tongue. 

The  question  as  to  whether  the  more  perfect 
class  forms  found  at  Masaba  are  more  primitive 
than  those  used  by  kindred  peoples,  is  still  an 


324  Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

open  one ;  but  to  me  it  seems  hardly  likely 
that  the  Masaba  language  has  developed  whilst 
the  customs,  manners,  and  general  surroundings 
of  the  people  have  remained  stationary. 

The  perfectly  regulated  grammatical  con- 
struction of  the  Lumasaba  language  was  a 
revelation  to  me,  as  was  also  their  compara- 
tively rich  vocabulary. 

I  have  been  able  to  compile  a  dictionary  of 
some  ten  thousand  words,  and  although  with 
this  number  it  is  quite  possible  to  understand 
and  be  understood,  yet  it  forms  but  a  portion 
of  the  native  vocabulary. 

There  is  an  almost  total  lack  of  words  which 
we  Europeans  use  to  express  abstract  ideas, 
and  in  missionary  work  this  lack  is  very  much 
felt.  Such  ideas  as  love,  grace,  faith,  trust, 
holiness,  &c.,  are  quite  unknown ;  and  it  is 
necessary  to  take  other  words,  commonly 
used  for  the  nearest  equivalent  meanings,  and 
read  and  teach  into  them  the  fuller,  deeper 
meanings. 

If  "  love "  exists,  it  is  not  expressed,  and  the 
Bagishu  will  only  learn  to  express  it  by  reading 
the  deeper  meaning  into  the  word  "Kugana" 
(want). 

"  Holiness  "  is  quite  unknown  in  reality  or  as 
an  idea,  but  it  is  remarkable  how  quickly  they 
grasp  the  idea  of  holiness,  and  the  appropriate- 


Evolving  Abstract  Ideas  325 

ness  of  using  the  word  "  Kikosefu"  (cleanness  or 
whiteness)  to  express  it. 

"  Faith "  is  expressed  by  the  word  "  Kuf  u- 
kirira,"  which  means  "to  agree  to,"  whilst  the 
deeper  meanings  of  "  grace "  will  be  given  to 
the  word  used  to  express  "  good-nature." 

Many  other  words  were  equally  difficult  but 
more  amusing  to  locate. 

For  months  I  was  endeavouring  to  get  the 
Lugishu  equivalent  for  the  English  word  hypo- 
crite,  and  was  met  on  nearly  every  hand 
with  the  statement  that  a  person  possessing 
such  properties  as  we  think  go  to  make  a 
hypocrite  is  a  liar — a  truth  indeed  ! 

The  adjective  mad  conveys  all  the  Bagishu 
wish  to  say  about  a  person  of  constantly 
changeful  mind ;  and  in  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion of  what  they  call  a  person  who  cannot 
come  to  a  definite  conclusion  upon  a  subject, 
I  was  informed  that  they  had  no  people  of 
that  kind  in  their  country  ;  and  I  quite 
believe  it. 

Having  solved  some  grammar  rules,  I  was  able, 
with  the  help  of  a  Mugishu  lad,  Polo,  who  was 
afterwards  baptized  Andrew,  to  prepare  a  small 
reading-book  which  enjoys  the  title  "  Bimanyisa 
Kusoma  "  (the  things  which  cause  to  know  how 
to  read).  It  opens  with  letters  in  Roman  cha- 
racter, script  and  ordinary,  small  and  capital ; 


326   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

figures,  syllables,  words,  sentences,  prayers, 
Creed,  Commandments,  texts  of  Scripture,  the 
copy  of  a  written  letter,  and  a  multiplication 
table. 

Such  a  little  book  is  of  very  great  help  in 
trying  to  teach  these  people,  and  it  is  not  a 
little  amusing  to  receive,  most  carefully  folded, 
a  piece  of  old  newspaper,  upon  which  is  written 
an  exact  copy  of  the  letter  set  at  the  end  of 
the  book : — 

Masaba,  Julm  20,  1907. 

Iharuwa  ya  Nayu. 

Nakuchyesere  lugali  mnlebe  wase :  Wena  ?  ugona  oryena  ? 
Ne  bimutsu  barye  ?  Ubambonere  bosi,  ni  babolera  ngana 
kubabona  wangu.  Byaweye. 

Ise  wakyo, 

Nayu. 

Translation. 

The  letter  of  WhaVs-hia-name. 

I  salute  you  very  much,  my  brother  :  How  are  you  ?  How 
have  you  slept  ?  And  how  are  all  in  the  house  ?  See 
them  all  for  me,  and  tell  them  I  wish  to  see  them  soon. 
The  (words)  are  finished. 

I  am  yours, 

What's-his-namb. 

The  youngsters  are  fairly  quick  to  leam, 
and  quite  a  large  number  are  now  able  to  read 


A  Native  Prayer  Book  327 


a  small  catechism  called  "Katabo  Kanyoher- 
wako,"  i.e.,  the  first  book,  which  is  used  to 
teach  them  elementary  religious  truths. 

One  has  also  been  able  to  translate  Morning 
and  Evening  Prayer,  The  Litany,  Baptism  Ser- 
vice, Church  Catechism,  Confirmation  Service, 
and  various  hymns.  From  these  the  S.P.C.K. 
have  published  what  is  called 

KULOMBA 

KWIKUMUTIKINYI  NI  KWIHANGOLOBE 

NU 

BAKIRI  KUBATISIWA 

NI  MU 

BANA  BAKECHE 

NE 

KULOMBA  KWIMUBIEO  BIKALI 
BITWERA 

NE 

TSINYIMBO  TSIKUBOLERESA  WERE 

MU 

BABANDU  BOSI 

(Service  Book,  Hymns,  and  Occasional  Prayers 
in  Lumasaba.) 


328   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


In  mission  work  of  this  kind  there  are  many 
discouragements  ;  but  any  man  would  feel  more 
than  repaid  to  know  that  a  people  who  answer 
almost  exactly  to  Dr.  F.  C.  Shrubsall's  descrip- 
tion given  in  the  Lancet  for  April,  1908,  of  the 
Bushmen  Hottentots,  "  They  are  said  to  have 
greater  powers  than  the  average  of  twisting 
their  bolas  and  to  practise  sitting  down  and 
shooting  poisoned  arrows  at  one  another.  .  .  . 
Their  habitations  were  caverns,  rock-shelters,  or 
merely  mats  spread  over  branches.  .  .  .  They  slept 
coiled  up.  .  .  .  They  wore  little  clothing,  and 
adorned  themselves  with  necklets  of  beads 
made  from  the  shells  of  ostrich  eggs,"  can  meet 
together  and  evidently  enjoy  the  using  of 
prayers  and  the  singing  of  hymns  such  as  we 
in  England  know  so  well. 

"  Papa  wefwe  ali  mu  igulu,  Lisinalyo  likosewe.  Bubwaka- 
bakabwo  bwitse.  Byogana  babikole  mu  kyalo,  nga  nibabikola 
mu  igulu.  Ukuhe  kya  lero  biryo  byefwe  bya  kifuku,  Ukuya- 
kire  kukwonaga  k wefwe,  ngefwe  bwekubayakira  bakwonaga 
Ukakuhira  mu  bukongeresi,  ne  ukuhonese  mu  bubi.  Kubanga 
bubwakabaka,  ni  bunyala,  ni  kitifwa,  nibyo  byowo,  biro  ni  biro. 
Amina." 

is  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Lumasaba,  whilst  the 
following  are  verses  translated  from  well- 
known  hymns : — 


Well-known  Hymns  329 


Onward,  Christian  Soldiers. 

"  Babana  ba  Yesu  mwinyuke  mwesi  I 
Mulole  Yesu,  uyu  warangiye : 
Mu  basiku  bosi  Yesu  ufura ; 
Nakulanga  Umwami ;  kutsye  naye. 
Babana  ba  Yesu,  mwinyuke  mwesi, 
Mulole  Yesu,  uyu  warangiye." 

For  My  Salee  am,d  the  GospeVs. 

"  Kulwase  ni  Kalwenjiri 
Mutsiye  bana  base : 
Nibiramu  "  Hakutsiye ; 
Kitifwa  kibe  kyuli." 
Itsa  kufira  babandu, 
Papa  we  nga  muruma  : 
Wamalaho  bibi  byefwe, 
I  we  kufwa  hukisina." 

RocTc  of  Ages. 

"Lurale  Iwikale  iwe 
Lwitikira  kulwase 
Muchi  mwenibisira 
Mafugike  ichikama. 
Bibi  byosi  binduseko, 
Mbonesa  mu  mani  kabyo." 

That  the  language  is  fairly  rich  in  idiom 
may  be  gathered  from  the  following  examples 
of  how  the  question  "  Why  ?  "  may  be  asked  : — 

Kikulobeye  Kukwitsa  kina  '? — Wby  did  you  refuse  to  come  ? 
Kina  kigirire  wala  kwitsa  ? — Why  did  you  not  come  ? 


330   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

Kina  kigira  ukatsya  ? — Why  have  you  not  gone  ? 
Kina  kigira  akagobola  ? — Why  is  he  not  returned  ? 
Kina  kigirire  balaire  kugobola? — Why  have  they  not  re- 
turned ? 

Kina  kyagira  bala  kugobola  ? — Why  did  they  not  return  ? 

Kina  kikukingiriye  kukwitsa  wangu  ? — Why  did  you  not 
come  at  once? 

Kina  kigira  ukateka  ? — Why  do  you  refuse  to  cook  ? 

Kina  kigirire  walahakuteka  ? — Why  have  you  not  cooked  ? 

Kina  kikukolesere  kiri  ? — What  causes  you  to  act  thus  ? 

Kikukolesere  kiryo  kina  ? — Why  did  you  do  this  or  that  ? 

Ukolere  kina  oryo  ? — Why  have  you  done  thus  ? 

Wakola  kina  oryo  ? — Why  did  you  do  thus  ? 

Kina  kigira  ukola  oryo  ?  or  Kigira  ukola  oryo  kina  ? — Why 
are  you  doing  thus  ? 

Urerere  kametsi  ka  ki  ? — Why  have  you  brought  the  water? 

Kikurerere  kina? — Why  have  you  come?  (Lit.,  What  has 
brought  you  ?) 

Loma  kigirire  ukola  oryo? — Give  the  reason* why  you  act 
thus  ? 

The  language  reveals  to  us  that  even  these 
primitive  people  know  how  to  be  polite,  and  a 
stranger  will  do  fairly  well  among  them  if  he 
learns  nothing  more  than  a  few  salutations. 
Certain  of  these  are  used  irrespective  of  time, 
such  as  "  Mulembe  ?  or  Mirembe  ? — Peace." 

Ant.  Mulembe — Peace. 

Ques.  Ulame  ? — A  very  old  form.    Probably  means  "  Are 
you  there  ?  " 
Am.  Ulame. 


Lumasaba  Salutations  331 


Qiies.  Wena  ?    Are  you  well  ? 
Ans.  Wena  ?    Are  you  well  ? 

Morning  Salutations. 

Wagonere  oryena  ? — How  have  you  slept  ? 
Nagonere  bulahi  ?  Njebewe  ? — I  have  slept  well.  Perhaps 
you?  i.e.,  How  about  yourself? 
Bengo  baryena  ? — How  are  those  at  home  ? 
Baliyo  balwakire. — They  are  well.    How  are  you  ? 

Afternoon  Salutations, 

Wabuyire  oryena  ? — How  have  you  passed  the  day? 
Nabuyire  bulahi.  Njebewe  ? — I  have  passed  it  well.  Perhaps 
you? 

If  the  person  addressed  is  ill  he  uses  the  word  nindwala — I 
am  ill— instead  of  bulahi. 

There  is  no  exact  equivalent  for  our  Goodbye, 
The  departing  guest  says  Nitsya — I  am  going ; 
to  which  is  often  added  the  wish  Nule,  or  Nule 
bulahi — May  I  reach,  or  May  I  reach  safely. 

Nutsye  wule  bulahi. — Go,  may  you  reach  safely. 
Nule  bulahi. — May  I  reach  safely. 
Nutsye  ugona  bulahi. — May  you  go  and  sleep  well. 
Ngone  bulahi. — May  I  sleep  well. 

My  great  hope  was  to  translate  the  Scriptures, 
but  such  a  work  was  not  to  be  begun  until  the 
details  and  scope  of  the  language  had  been 
mastered.    With  the  Grammar  and  Dictionary 


332   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


completed,  the  way  seemed  open  for  the  con- 
templation of  the  greater  work;  but  evidently 
it  had  not  to  be,  for  doctor's  orders  are  impera- 
tive, and  one  can  only  live  in  hope  that  another 
opportunity  for  this  work  will  be  given. 


334 


CHAPTER  XVI 


LIGHT  AND  SHADE 


Slow  progress — Friendly  and  trustful  natives — Spirit  of  inde- 
pendence— Indian  hemp-smoking — Effect  of  evil  practices 
— Native  dances — Drink  and  fighting — Wailing — Native 
industry — Lighthearted  geniaUty — Witchcraft — The  power 
of  suggestion — Protection  against  witchcraft — No  God  of 
love  in  Masaba — Evil  spirits  —  Altars  and  offerings — 
Sacrifices — Sacred  groves — A  liking  for  football — Ghoulish 
practices — A  low  standard  of  civihsation — Compensations 
— Native  abihty — Open  doors, 

"TXTITH  buildings,  books,  and  additional  staff 


V  V  the  work  is  more  definitely  organised, 
hopeful,  and  interesting ;  but  Masaba  is  one  of 
those  mission  fields  where  mental,  moral,  and 
spiritual  progress  will  be  slow.  The  habits  and 
customs  of  past  generations  will  not  be  lightly 
cast  off,  and  loving  patience  will  be  necessary  to 
hold  the  people  until  they  understand,  appre- 
ciate, and  accept  the  structure  you  are  trying 
to  erect  to  some  extent  on  the  foundation  of 
belief  already  found  among  them. 


17 


335 


33^   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

One  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  life  at  Masaba 
has  been  the  perfectly  friendly  and  trustful 
manner  of  the  natives  towards  us  at  all  times; 
and  this  attitude  is  one  to  be  encouraged  and 
reciprocated  whether  the  people  attend  church 
and  school  or  not,  for  it  enables  the  missionary 
to  get  to  the  back  of  the  native  mind — to  know 
something  of  their  beliefs  and  unbeliefs,  strength 
and  weakness,  likes  and  dislikes,  hopes  and  fears. 
It  will  also  enable  him  to  do  his  work  and  limit 
his  expectations  according  to  the  character  of 
the  people,  rather  than  according  to  precon- 
ceived ideas  gathered  in  a  country  such  as 
Uganda,  where  the  history  of  the  people  and 
the  circumstances  of  life  are  totally  different. 

Here  there  is  no  king  or  feudal  chief  to  influ- 
ence his  followers  one  way  or  the  other.  Every 
man,  woman,  and  child  claims  to  be  indepen- 
dent, and  we  often  see  the  effect  of  this  inde- 
pendence on  our  school  children. 

Probably  through  some  early  Arab  traveller, 
the  Indian  hemp  plant  has  been  introduced  into 
Masaba,  and  is  cultivated  by  almost  every  house- 
holder, then  gathered,  dried,  and  smoked  through 
a  very  primitive  hubble-bubble  pipe,  made  from 
a  hollowed  gourd  which  contains  the  watei;. 

As  a  rule  the  adults  are  temperate  in  the  use 
of  the  weed :  a  man  will  even  forbid  his  wife  to 
smoke  it  on  account  of  some  evil  effect  it  is  said 


Evil  Practices  337 


to  have  upon  her  or  her  child,  should  she  be 
about  to  become  a  mother;  but  father  and 
mother  are  quite  careless  about  their  children 
smoking  it :  for  are  not  the  children  themselves 
responsible  for  their  habits? 

I  have  heard  and  seen  the  effect  of  this 
"bhang"  smoking  on  porters  from  the  coast, 
and  thought  it  dangerous  enough  in  the  case 
of  strong  men,  but  when  I  saw  its  effect  upon 
the  Bagishu  children  I  was  appalled. 

The  brightest  little  boys  and  girls  have 
attended  our  classes  and  made  remarkable 
progress  for  a  time  ;  then  suddenly  lost  their 
brightness,  interest,  health,  and  intelligence. 
At  first  this  puzzled  me ;  but  there  is  little 
doubt  but  that  it  is  due  to  the  smoking  of 
hemp,  or,  as  the  natives  put  it,  to  the  drinking 
of  "  itsayi,"  since  the  act  of  smoking  can  only 
be  described  by  the  native  as  drinking. 

Contributory  causes  to  this  dulness  are  sexual 
connection  among  the  young  and  drinking  the 
native  strong  drink,  though  the  latter  is  not 
often  indulged  in  by  children. 

It  seems  incomprehensible  that  a  people  so 
strict  at  certain  times  about  the  purity  of  their 
girls,  that  a  girl  pregnant  before  marriage  is 
punished,  and  a  girl  suffering  from  specific  dis- 
ease becomes  an  outcast,  should  at  other  times 
encourage  them  in  what  they  pronounce  wrong- 


338   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

doing.  Yet  the  heads  of  families  actually  do 
this  by  holding  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year 
what  they  call  an  "ingoma,"  an  all-night 
orgy,  to  which  all  young  people  of  other  clans 
are  invited  by  the  beating  of  a  peculiar  long 
drum  known  as  an  ingoma. 

These  festivals  are  generally  held  about  the 
time  of  full  moon,  and  sometimes  go  on  night 
after  night.  Undoubtedly  the  idea  is  to  pair  off 
the  young  people  and  to  fix  up  engagements. 

The  Bagishu  are  passionately  fond  of  dancing, 
and  crowd  to  these  "  ingomas  "  for  the  pro- 
fessedly innocent  as  well  as  the  wrong  sport 
to  be  obtained. 

Dancing  plays  an  important  part  in  their  lives, 
for  at  marriage  and  death,  to  mark  sorrow  and 
joy,  they  dance  until  they  are  ready  to  drop  from 
fatigue. 

Intoxicating  drink,  too,  is  a  source  of  great 
evil  in  the  country,  for  it  is  used  to  mark  every 
event  in  life.  Births,  deaths,  marriages,  pre- 
paring the  land  and  gathering  the  harvest, 
before  a  fight  and  after  a  fight,  are  all  oppor- 
tunities upon  which  recourse  is  had  to  one  or 
other  of  the  native  drinks. 

The  drinks  native  to  the  country  are  "  indali 
inyana,"  an  unfermented  drink  made  from  sweet 
bananas  only;  a  fermented  drink,  "indali  indule," 
made  from  sweet  bananas  and  fermented  with 


Refreshing  Candour  339 

millet  seed ;  and  another  fermented  drink, 
*'busera,"  made  from  two  kinds  of  millet  seed. 

I  have  said  that  dancing  plays  an  important 
part  in  the  lives  of  the  Bagishu ;  well,  even 
dancing  loses  its  relish  if  drink  is  absent. 

There  are  private  drinks,  clan  drinks,  culti- 
vation drinks,  wedding  drinks — the  people  of 
Mabasa  have  not  yet  reached  the  stage  so  pre- 
valent in  England  of  serving  out  intoxicating 
liquors  at  funerals — circumcision  drinks,  and 
drinks  indulged  in  to  prepare  the  warriors  for 
a  fight ;  a  real  fight  I  mean,  not  a  political 
election. 

The  candour  with  which  the  Bagishu  an- 
nounced their  drinking  proclivities  was  at  first 
rather  a  shock,  but  after  all  was  so  unusual  that 
it  proved  refreshing.  Building  operations  had 
been  going  on  for  some  time  at  the  mission 
station,  and  I  anticipated  a  successful  and  hasty 
conclusion,  when  some  of  the  elders  approached 
me  and  said  they  were  going  off  for  at  least  two 
weeks  to  drink,  and  I  must  get  on  as  best  I  could 
without  them.  No  humbug  about  them  in  that 
matter  at  any  rate,  and  I  found  them  much  the 
same  if  an  individual  was  missing  from  work, 
school,  or  church  at  any  time.  They  did  not  say 
he  had  gone  into  the  country,  or  had  a  sudden 
attack  of  illness ;  they  said  he  was  at  home  or 
elsewhere  drinking. 


340   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

The  effect  of  hard  drinking  is  as  evident 
among  the  adults  as  that  of  hemp-smoking  is 
among  the  young.  Some  of  them  are  in  a 
constant  state  of  drivelling  inebriation,  whilst 
others  become  cantankerous  and  quarrelsome. 

A  foolish  word  of  boasting  or  contempt 
spoken  at  a  drinking  party  has  led  to  many  a 
quarrel  with  serious  results ;  and  one  such 
termination  happened  soon  after  our  arrival 
at  Masaba.  A  company  of  men  were  drinking 
not  far  from  our  station,  and  one  of  the  visitors 
had  spoken  disrespectfully  of  his  hosts.  He 
realised  his  mistake  and  made  tracks  for  home 
as  hard  as  he  could  go  followed  by  about  half 
a  dozen  young  fellows  each  armed,  like  himself, 
with  a  long,  business-like  stick.  They  caught 
him  as  he  passed  our  door,  and  but  for  our 
instant  intervention  he  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  killed.  As  it  was  I  had  to  bind 
up  his  frightfully  cut  and  bruised  head  and 
shoulders,  his  assailants  looking  on  muchly 
interested  but  crestfallen. 

On  another  occasion  my  wife  and  I  were  at 
the  rest-house  in  the  hills.  The  men  of  a 
neighbouring  village  had  been  up  the  mountain 
to  a  large  drinking  party,  and  on  their  return 
I  had  some  conversation  with  them  and  found 
that  some  argument  was  being  continued. 
This  led  to  a  quarrel  when  they  reached  home, 


A  Fatal  Argument  341 

and  we  were  not  surprised  to  see  some  of  the 
houses  of  the  village  go  up  in  flames.  It  was, 
however,  rather  disconcerting  to  know  that 
the  quarrel  had  become  a  general  fight,  and 
it  was  something  of  a  shock  to  me  next  morn- 
ing, on  my  going  down  to  see  if  any  required 
their  wounds  dressed,  to  find  one  fine  young 
fellow  lying  dead.  In  the  heat  of  the  argument 
he  had  given  his  companion  the  lie,  and  the 
other  had  promptly  rammed  a  spear  down  his 
throat. 

As  is  always  the  case,  the  murderer  had  fled 
with  his  nearest  male  relatives,  and  men  and 
women  had  gathered  near  the  corpse  to  dance 
the  death  dance — a  weird  sight  and  sound,  for 
the  men  as  a  rule  dress  in  war  attire  and  with 
iron  bells  fastened  just  below  the  knee  dance  to 
the  rhythm  of  the  sound,  whilst  the  women  with 
their  string  dress  hanging  down  loose  behind, 
dance  near  the  men  but  not  with  them,  and  add 
to  the  weirdness  of  the  occasion  by  wailing  at 
regular  intervals. 

This  ceremony  is  performed  with  the  idea  of 
giving  honour  to  the  spirit  as  it  enters 
"  Makombe,"  the  spirit-world. 

We  must  not  run  away  with  the  idea  that 
the  people  of  Masaba  do  nothing  but  drink 
and  fight,  for  one  is  amazed  at  the  little  harm 
they  do  each  other,  and  at  the  amount  of 


342    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

industry  that  might  be  turned  into  channels 
more  profitable  to  the  people  and  the  country. 

The  native  blacksmiths  are  men  who  work 
with  the  most  elementary  tools  it  is  possible 
to  conceive  :  a  stone  for  an  anvil,  and  another 
for  a  hammer,  yet  their  work  will  certainly 
bear  inspection. 

The  houses  are  better  than  the  houses  of 
Usoga,  and  indeed  superior  to  the  houses  that 
have,  until  this  last  year  or  two,  satisfied  the 
peasant  of  Uganda. 

It  is  remarkable  too  that  in  Masaba  the  men 
help  to  cultivate ;  indeed,  they  are  primarily 
responsible  for  the  cultivation  of  all  cereals 
whilst  the  women  are  responsible  for  the 
plantain  groves. 

There  is  a  charming  lightheartedness,  breezy 
geniality,  and  kind  good-nature  about  the 
Mugishu  that  reminds  one  of  Ireland ;  and 
when  prospects  are  darkest  keep  one  hopeful. 

The  crowds  that  came  from  far  and  near  to 
listen  to  the  gramophone — or  at  other  times 
to  see  and  play  with  the  little  white  boys 
until  the  baby  or  his  father  would  produce  a 
doll,  when  off  they  would  scamper  with  shrieks 
of  wonder  and  fear  real  and  feigned — were 
always  good-natured  crowds,  ready  to  do  any- 
thing for  the  white  babies  or  their  mother. 
These  visits  enabled  us  to  get  a  little  insight 


BAGISHU  BLACKSMITHS. 


343 


The  Power  of  Witchcraft  345 


into  their  inmost  thoughts,  and  showed  us 
something  of  their  terribly  strong  belief  in  the 
power  of  witchcraft  and  the  evil  eye,  for  not 
only  were  the  visitors  themselves  sometimes 
frightened  by  the  children's  dolls  or  mechanical 
toys,  but  men  have  again  and  again  come  to  ask 
for  the  loan  of  a  doll  with  which  they  wished 
to  bewitch  some  opponent  or  other. 

This  belief  in  witchcraft  is  one  of  the  greatest 
and  most  dangerous  powers  in  the  land,  and  is 
sometimes  responsible  for  most  terrible  conse- 
quences. 

One  such  case  came  under  my  notice  not  long 
ago.  My  wife  and  I  were  visiting  a  native 
village  and  saw  a  young  woman  of  fine  physique, 
known  to  us,  leaning  listlessly  against  a  grain 
store.  I  suggested  her  doing  some  work,  but  her 
answer  was  that  she  was  seriously  ill.  I  told 
her  she  did  not  look  ill,  and  that:  perhaps  a  little 
work  would  put  her  right ;  but  the  chief  and 
other  people  came  near  and  assured  me  that 
she  was  seriously  ill,  having  been  bewitched. 
I  begged  for  an  explanation,  and  they  told  me 
that  some  little  time  before  my  visit  the  girl 
and  others  were  playing,  when  a  man,  well 
known  to  them  all,  ran  off  with  her  beads, 
kept  them  for  some  time,  and  then  returned 
them  to  the  girl,  who  put  them  on  and  imme- 
diately believed  herself  bewitched.    From  that 


346   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

moment  she  declared  herself  unable  to  work, 
and  no  amount  of  argument,  ridicule,  or 
expostulation  availed  to  shake  the  foolish 
belief  of  herself  and  people.  Her  mind  was 
fixed,  her  body  gradually  but  somewhat  rapidly 
gave  way  and  she  died,  whereupon  a  solemn 
meeting  of  the  clan  was  called  to  try  the 
case :  witnesses  gave  evidence  against  the  man, 
who  was  declared  guilty  of  witchcraft  and 
straightway  beaten  to  death. 

There  was  no  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  clan 
to  shirk  responsibility  for  his  death.  I  under- 
stand the  matter  was  reported  to  the  Govern- 
ment officer,  who  sent  for  the  man  really 
responsible  for  this  judicial  murder,  and  he 
went  immediately,  declared  his  responsibility, 
as  head  of  that  portion  of  the  clan,  and  justified 
his  action  by  native  custom. 

I  do  not  suppose  that  even  so-called  Christian 
Scientists  can  give  us  a  more  striking  example 
of  the  effect  of  mind  over  matter  than  the  one 
just  quoted ;  and  there  are  many  such  in 
Masaba. 

The  people  are  often  charging  each  other 
with  witchcraft  and  the  practice  of  the  evil 
eye,  and  great  care  is  taken  to  detect  such 
people. 

Every  house  is  built  with  little  spy- holes 
through  which  watchers  look  at  night  for  any 


347 


An  Amusing  Episode  349 

enemy  who  may  creep  up  and  place  a  kumusala, 
that  is,  a  piece  of  tree  specially  used  by 
bewitchers,  who  place  it  outside  the  door  of  a 
house  in  such  a  way  that  a  person  coming  out, 
unless  very  careful,  is  obliged  to  touch  it.  I  need 
not  say  that  the  Bagishu  are  very  careful  as  they 
come  out  of  their  houses  in  the  early  morning  ; 
and  they  are  also  careful  to  find  out  who  travels 
about  at  night. 

The  fear  of  being  charged  with  witchcraft  is 
an  effectual  deterrent  against  late  hours  in 
Masaba,  and  the  trial  of  culprits  is  indeed  laugh- 
able were  the  consequences  of  an  adverse  verdict 
not  so  terrible. 

Not  long  ago  a  clan  met  together  to  try  A  for 
witchcraft.  He  was  not  a  favourite  in  the  clan, 
and  they  were  willing  to  grasp  at  any  evidence 
against  him.  He  was  charged  with  being  seen 
near  a  certain  house  late  one  night,  and  B,  who 
was  a  great  favourite,  gave  evidence  that  he 
saw  A  near  the  said  house.  When  passing  the 
assembled  crowd  I  asked  the  reason  for  their 
being  together,  and  the  elders  came  and  told  me 
of  A's  guilt  as  proved  by  B.  They  looked  very 
much  surprised  when  I  suggested  that  B  should 
be  charged  with  witchcraft,  for,  on  his  own  con- 
fession, he  was  near  the  said  house  at  a  wrong 
hour.  In  his  case  there  was  no  doubt  about  it, 
but  in  A's  case  there  was  some  question. 


350   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

I  knew  that  B  was  safe,  but  my  suggestion 
doubled  him  up  and  he  made  for  home  amid  the 
loud  laughter  of  the  assembly,  which  immediately 
congratulated  A  on  his  innocence. 

A  recent  letter  from  Masaba  says  :  "  Only  the 
other  day  some  of  the  Bagishu  went  up  the  hill 
to  burn  down  a  medicine-man's  house,  because 
he  had  promised  them  rain,  had  taken  their 
cattle,  and  had  sent  them  only  a  terrible  wind, 
which  blew  down  their  toki  (plantain-trees)." 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  such  beliefs  interfere 
very  considerably  with  missionary  effort,  for 
although  the  Bagishu  believe  in  Were,  the 
Creator  of  all  things,  the  Great  Spirit,  they 
think  of  Him  as  one  to  be  greatly  feared  on 
account  of  His  ability  to  do  them  harm ;  and 
almost  their  chief  thought  in  life  is  how  to 
appease  Were  and  the  many  evil  spirits  known 
as  Kimisamhwa, 

An  altar  is  erected  inside  every  house  to 
the  spirit  responsible  for  the  safe-keeping  of 
houses  ;  and  upon  it  is  placed  food  and  drink 
offerings.  Then  just  outside  the  door  may 
be  seen  little  altars  built  in  the  form  of  tiny 
houses,  erected  to  the  honour  of  various  spirits 
responsible  for  health,  weather,  &c. 

When  examining  these  shrines  I  have  often 
reminded  the  people  that  they  cannot  think 
highly  of  the  wisdom  of  these  spirits  when  they 


Sacrifices 


351 


dare  to  eat  the  inside  out  of  an  egg  and  then 
place  the  shell  in  such  a  position  that  a  casual 
onlooker  might  think  it  full. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  worship  among  the 
Bagishu  of  Masaba  such  as  we  understand  it ; 
but  in  times  of  sickness,  famine,  war,  and 
pestilence  sacrifices  of  goats  and  oxen  are  made 
to  Were,  and  presents  offered  through  the  witch- 
doctors to  the  evil  spirits. 

In  the  case  of  sickness,  the  nearest  relative  of 
the  sick  person  provides  the  offering,  which  is 
brought  to  the  door  of  the  house  in  which  the 
sick  person  lies.  This  relative  places  his  hand 
on  the  head  of  the  offering  and  professedly 
gives  it  to  Were.  If  the  goat  or  ox  micturates, 
the  offering  has  been  accepted,  and  there  is 
great  joy  and  hope  ;  but  if  not,  it  is  said  that 
Were  refuses  the  offering,  and  it  is  killed  in 
gloom  and  despair. 

The  offering  is  cut  up  and  distributed  to  the 
onlookers  in  the  hope  that  any  who  may  have 
bewitched  the  sick  person  will  withdraw  the 
evil  influence.  God  and  man,  they  hope,  is  thus 
appeased. 

It  behoves  every  member  of  the  clan  to  attend 
these  offerings,  and  also  the  dance  performed 
after  the  death  of  a  person,  in  order  to  remove 
any  suspicion  of  having  been  concerned  by 
witchcraft  in  the  sickness  or  death. 


35^    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

There  are  also  periodic  processions  to  the 
sacred  groves  found  on  the  land  of  each  clan, 
when  offerings  are  made  by  the  witch-doctors 
to  the  evil  spirits,  much  drink  consumed,  and 
licentious  practices  indulged  in. 

It  may  be  difficult  to  credit  that  these  men 
are  good  companions  on  the  march,  and  delight- 
ful in  the  football  field ;  yet  such  they  are,  and 
nothing  appeals  to  them  more  than  a  good  game 
of  "  Association,"  and  even  the  little  chaps  will 
leave  their  imitation  fights  with  bows,  arrows, 
spears,  and  shields  to  learn  all  about  "  off-side," 
corner,"  "throw  in,"  &c.  In  fact,  their  appetite 
for  football  is  greater  than  we  can  satisfy,  for 
the  outer  cases  of  footballs  rot  very  quickly  in 
the  severe  sun. 

Europeans  are  always  astonished  at  the  way 
these  "  AH  blacks "  can  kick  off  the  toe  of  a 
naked  foot,  and  also  at  the  sportsmanlike  way 
in  which  they  take  a  "  charge  "  or  a  beating. 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  custom  of 
throwing  out  the  dead  practised  at  Masaba ; 
and  possibly  this  is  responsible  for,  and  not 
because  of,  the  more  loathsome  custom  of 
cannibalism. 

No  Mugishu  will  own  that  he  is  guilty  of  such 
a  practice,  but  every  one  says  that  some  one 
else  does  it. 

Without  doubt  it  is  done  and  in  a  ghoulish 


Cannibalism 


353 


manner  ;  for  the  dead  are  not  always  left  to  the 
hyaenas.  The  natives  suggest  that  it  is  only 
done  in  the  case  of  bitter  enemies  at  war  with 
each  other;  but  the  more  horrible  practice  of 
eating  the  corpse  of  a  dead  friend  was  once 
brought  to  my  knowledge,  and  the  only  redeem- 
ing feature  about  it  was  that,  when  known,  it 
caused  bitter  shame. 

Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  was  surely  right — so  far 
as  some  things  are  concerned — regarding  their 
low  standard  of  civilisation.  A  glimpse  at  some 
of  the  faces  is  enough  to  satisfy  on  that  point, 
but  the  pleasure  and  satisfaction  of  helping 
them  upward  is  all  the  greater ;  and  to  see  a 
naked,  wild,  uncouth  youth  grow  reasonable, 
kindly,  thoughtful,  and  manly  is  worth  a  good 
deal  more  than  a  "  go "  of  blackwater  fever. 
This  has  been  the  case  again  and  again  in 
various  parts  of  the  Uganda  Protectorate,  due 
to  the  influence  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ : 
and  I  have  reason  to  think  it  has  been  so,  in  a 
small  measure,  at  Masaba,  where  the  lad  Polo, 
not  beautiful  to  look  at,  but  one  of  the  best 
wrestlers  in  the  country,  stuck  to  me  day  after 
day  and  helped  me  with  the  language  until  I 
was  invalided.  He  with  others  was  baptized 
more  than  a  year  ago,  and  to-day  he  is  a  teacher 
in  the  boys'  school  at  our  central  station  in 
Masaba,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  has  with  the  help 


354   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

of  a  European,  been  endeavouring  to  translate 
the  Gospels. 

On  every  hand  there  is  evidence  that  a  mission 
station  has  been  a  peace-factor  and  blessing  to 
the  district,  for  drinking  and  fighting  went 
decidedly  out  of  fashion  ;  and  my  collection  of 
curios  prove  that  weapons  of  warfare  have  been 
given  up  for  instruments  of  agriculture,  one  hoe 
for  a  spear,  two  for  a  knife,  and  from  three  to 
five  for  a  shield. 

Old  beliefs  and  customs  die  hard,  and  no  one 
outside  Masaba  can  conceive  what  it  means  to 
have  a  hundred  of  these  people  under  daily 
instruction,  or  a  congregation  of  over  two 
hundred  at  the  central  station  on  Sundays. 

If  one  of  these  attenders  fall  sick,  the  out- 
siders tell  him  that  we  have  bewitched  him,  or 
that  Were  has  punished  him  for  presuming  to 
speak  to  Him  as  we  do  in  our  prayers. 

Some  of  the  Bagishu  even  come  near  the 
church  to  see  what  will  happen  to  such 
audacious  people  as  those  who  join  us  at 
worship ;  and  some  of  the  parents  are  so 
nervous  that  when  the  school  drum  sounds  they 
drive  their  children  into  the  bush  to  prevent 
their  attending.  A  glimpse  at  some  of  the 
pictures  will  show,  however,  that  this  fear  is 
not  universal,  for  the  tiniest  little  mites  come 
and  squat  down  at  our  door  or  in  the  school ; 


DOORS  THAT  ARE  BEING  OPENED. 
355 


open  Doors  357 


and  for  every  childish  ailment  the  help  of  the 
European  is  now  sought  and  gladly  given. 

In  the  more  distant  fortified  villages  the  doors 
have  been  opened  to  the  missionary  ;  and  nearer 
home  we  organise  sports  as  well  as  offer  work 
to  counteract  the  dangerous  tendencies  of  a 
decidedly  energetic  people. 


18 


CHAPTER  XVII 


NATIONALISING  AND  DENATIONALISING 
THE  NATIVE 


The  unsettling  of  the  native  mind — Bringing  them  into  line — 
A  bad  inheritance — Painful  memories — The  evils  of  armed 
agents  and  punitive  expeditions — Improvements — Possi- 
bihties. 

/^NE  of  the  greatest  difficulties  that  we  have 


V-/  had  to  contend  with  in  the  work  at 
Masaba  was  the  unsettling  of  the  native  mind 
and  mode  of  life  by  the  incoming  of  Govern- 
ment administration. 

In  1903  the  actual  work  of  dealing  with  the 
natives  was  done  by  the  Muganda  chief,  Semei 
Kakungulu,  who  is  now  in  Usoga.  He  had 
placed  his  agents  in  various  parts  of  the  country 
to  rule  it  on  lines  similar  to  the  feudal  system 
of  Uganda,  and  he  was  answerable  for  the 
general  condition  of  the  district  to  the  British 
official  at  Budaka,  situate  some  twenty  miles 
from  Masaba. 


Bringing  the  Native  into  Line  359 

It  was  the  express  wish  of  the  then  Com- 
missioner of  Uganda  that  the  raw  natives  in 
this  eastern  portion  of  his  district  should  be 
"brought  into  line,"  as  the  expression  goes, 
very  gradually;  and  probably  to  make  sure 
that  the  Muganda  chief  and  his  men  played 
square  with  the  native  and  the  Government 
the  official  post  was  moved  from  Budaka  to 
Mbale,  a  Uganda  colony  situate  at  the 
western  side  of  the  Elgon  foothills,  brought 
into  existence  by  the  dogged  perseverance 
and  hard  work  of  the  chief  Kakungulu  and 
his  people. 

New  assistant  collectors  were  appointed  from 
time  to  time,  and  gradually  a  new  order  of 
things  was  evolved  which  brought  the  Baganda 
in  outlying  places  directly  under  the  control  of 
the  Government  officer. 

I  am  convinced  that  this  step  was  taken  for 
the  good  of  the  Bagishu ;  but  after  some  four 
years'  residence  in  the  district  I  am  bound  to 
say,  having  earnestly  and  carefully  weighed  the 
seriousness  of  the  statement,  that  during  the 
years  of  my  residence  which  mark  the  intro- 
duction of  law  into  Masaba  there  seems  to  me 
to  have  been  less  peace,  less  security  of  property, 
and  more,  very  much  more,  bloodshed  than 
during  the  period  I  lived  there  without  direct 
British  administration.    The  method  of  collect- 


360   Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 

ing  hut-tax  inherited  by  each  assistant  collector 
— in  every  case  a  kindly  man  and  a  gentleman 
— was  no  doubt  responsible  to  a  great  extent 
for  the  unsatisfactory  condition  of  things ;  and 
the  introduction  of  punitive  expeditions  as  a 
means  of  meting  out  punishment  did  not  tend 
to  idealise  British  rule  in  the  minds  of  the 
natives. 

My  memories  of  the  troubles  between  the 
Administration  and  the  people  of  Masaba  are 
altogether  painful,  for  in  almost  every  instance 
my  sympathies  are  with  the  native,  as  I  am 
sure  would  be  those  of  any  man  who  had  been 
asked  by  the  men  of  a  clan  to  beg  back  the 
women  who  had  been  taken  prisoners ;  to  con- 
sole the  relatives  and  friends  of  a  dead  woman 
whom  they  deposited  at  my  door,  and  said  to 
have  been  one  of  four,  besides  men,  shot  that 
day  by  the  native  police  ;  and  obliged  to  turn 
the  vestry  into  a  hospital  for  the  wounded, 
shot  by  native  hut-tax  collectors  and  their  men 
without  any  provocation  whatever. 

These  armed  Baganda  hut-tax  collectors,  many 
of  them  of  the  very  worst  type,  distributed 
throughout  the  district  and  working  on  the 
percentage  system,  could  be  no  other  than  a 
menace  to  peace  and  prosperity;  and  I  am 
firmly  convinced  that  they  and  their  methods 
were  responsible  for  at  least  two  of  the  troubles 


Punitive  Expeditions  361 

for  which  the  natives  were  punished  by  the 
expensive  and  deplorable  method  of  a  punitive 
— I  had  almost  written  primitive — expedition. 
The  punitive  expedition  is  one  method  of 
dealing  with  an  uncivilised  people,  but  I  believe 
too  much  in  British  common  sense  to  think  that 
the  general  verdict  will  be  that  it  is  the  only 
or  even  a  commendable  method.  A  hundred 
pounds'  worth  of  rubber-trees  sent  to  an 
erring  clan,  with  a  sensible  man  who  could 
teach  them  how  to  plant  and  rear  them, 
would  do  far  more  good  to  them  and  us 
than  all  the  punitive  expeditions  in  the 
world. 

The  system  of  hut-tax  collection  has  been 
altered  by  the  Administration,  and  for  that 
we  are  deeply  grateful,  but  hope  the  use 
of  the  gun  will  be  absolutely  forbidden 
except  in  cases  of  direst  necessity  for  self- 
defence.  The  darkness  of  such  a  people 
as  the  Bagishu  of  Masaba,  Mount  Elgon 
"savage  and  uncivilised,"  as  they  have  been 
called,  is  great  indeed,  but  they  are  capable 
of  responding  to  gentle  methods,  and  the 
dawn,  though  slight,  is  visible  and  hopeful. 
Shall  we  not  encourage  and  strengthen  the 
gentle  methods,  though  slow  and  tedious, 
remembering  the  Luganda  proverb  quoted 
once    before,    "  Akwata    mpola    atuka  wala " 


362    Uganda  to  Mount  Elgon 


("He  who  goes  slowly  reaches  far"),  rather 
than  seek  by  harsher  methods  to  make 
haste  in  a  direction  the  end  of  which 
can  be  none  other  than  moral  and  physical 
desolation  ? 


INDEX 


A 

Abuketi  and  Agu,  250 
Abyssinia,  91,  172,  217,  265 
Acholi  country  and  people,  86, 

250 
Aden,  22 

Administration  of  Uganda,  151 
Africa,  33 

Africa,  British  East,  27,  28 
Africa,  West,  130 
Africa,  white  man's,  39 
African  and  Asiatic,  54 
African  Highlands,  40,  41,  45, 
50 

African,  the,  45,  46 
Albert  Edward  Lake,  97 
Albert  Lake,  97,  260 
Algerian  Fathers,  180 
Aloe  plant,  34 
AngUcan  renegades,  216 
Anglo-African  town,  43 
Antelope,  37 
Ants,  130 

Apolo  Kagwa,   Sir,  K.C.M.G., 
158 

Arab  and  African,  60 
Arab  houses,  24 


Archdeacon  Buckley,  228,  256 
Archdeacon  Walker,  144 
Aryan   and  Negro  interming- 
ling, 55 
Asiatic  element,  57 
Athi  plain,  64 
Atoxyl,  an,  108 

B 

Bagishu,  271 

Bahuma,  140 

Bamasaba,  271 

Bantu  Kavirondo,  64 

Bantu  language,  317 

Bantu  tribe,  38,  63,  64,  68,  271 

Baptisms  at  Masaba,  316 

Bari  people,  86 

Bark  cloth,  137 

Barrage  across    Kipon  Falls, 
109 

Beaten  track,  the,  21 
Bees,  130 

Belgian  Equatorial  Africa,  27 
Belief  in  witchcraft,  345 
"  Bhang  "  smoking,  337 
Bishop  Hannington,  144,  188, 
228,  239 


364 


Index 


Bishop  Tucker  of  Uganda,  146, 

228 

Bishop  Tucker's  Palace,  195 
Blackwater  fever,  131,  233,  353 
Bombay,  55 

Boyle,  A.,  Esq.,  C.M.G.,  231 
British  East  Africa,  28,  40,  60, 
91 

British  East  Africa  Company, 
89,  146 

British    East  African  tribes, 
60-79 

British  Equatorial  Africa,  27 
British  route,  37 
British  shipowners,  22 
British  v.  German  enterprise, 
22 

Bruce,  Colonel,  106 
Buckley,  Rev.  T.  R.,  228,  256 
Budaka,  358 
Bukedi,  241 
Bulemezi,  224 
Bululu,  256 
Buvuma  Islands,  97 
"  Bwana  Tayari,"  165 

C 

Cannibals,  304,  352 
Canoes,  94,  97 
Cardinal  Vaughan,  180 
Castellani,  Dr.,  105 
Cathedral,  the  English,  181 
Cattle,  44 

Central  Province  of  Uganda, 

232 
Cereals,  44 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  161 
Chillies,  117 


Christian  Missions,  56 
Church  and  State,  209 
Church  Missionary  Society,  32, 

88,  89,  90,  104,  134,  157,  161, 
176,  179,  188,  234 

Church  organisation,  212 
Church  uses    and  discipline, 
214 

Circumcision,  271 
Civihsation,  31,  32 
CUmate,  33,  44,  87, 131 
Cocoanut  cultivation,  33,  34 
Collection  of  taxes,  158,  360 
Colonists'  Association,  50 
Colony  of  British  East  Africa, 

44,  50,  53 
Company,  British  East  Africa, 

89,  146 
Competition  evils,  53 
Concubines,  31 
Congo  Free  State,  233 

Cook,  Dr.  A.  R.,  104,  132,  188, 

190,  202 
Cook,  Dr.  J.  H.,  104,  132,  188, 

202 

Cotton  cultivation,  33, 116 
Cotton  export,  117 
Cotton  ginning,  177 
Crabtree,  Mrs.,  259,  298 
Crabtree,  Rev.  W.  A.,  298,  317 
Crocodile,  94 
Cubitt,  231 
Culex  ariopheles,  128 
Customs  of  Bagishu,  265-293 

D 

Dak  bungalows,  37 
Danger  of  numbers,  198 


Index 


365 


Dangers  of  education,  204 
David  (Daudi),  King  of  Uganda, 

146,  154 
Debasian,  Mount,  249,  259 
Denationalising  the  native,  358 
Densham,  Dr.,  119,  188 
Develop  native  responsibility, 

211 

De  Winton,  188 

Difficulties  with  Koman  Catho- 
lics, 216 

Discipline  of  Church  members, 
215 

Discovery  of  Lake  Victoria  and 

source  of  Nile,  88 
Diseases,  131 
Disintegration,  57 
Dobosa,  261 
Dorobo  people,  84 
Drinks  of  Uganda,  140 
Dug-out  canoes,  97 

E 

East  Africa,  28,  31,  44,  45,  49 
East  African  , Colony,  44,  50, 
63 

East  African  Empire,  21,  55 
East  African  Highlands,  40,  41, 

45,  50 
East  African  trade,  22 
East  Coast  slave-trade,  63 
East  Indian  Empire,  27 
Education  dangers,  204 
Education  of  the  negro,  56,  58, 

204 

Education  versus  Evangelisa- 
tion, 204 
Egypt,  23 


Eldoma  Ravine,  85 
Emin  Pasha,  189 
England's  obligations  inUganda, 
169 

English  Cathedral,  the,  181 
English  Church,  the,  43 
English  hospital,  27 
Entebbe,  113,  175 
Equatorial  Africa,  27 
Etna,  23 
Euphorbia,  34 
Evil  customs,  337-341 
Evil  spirits,  350 
Excommunication,  215 
Executive  Committee,  C.M.S., 
217 

F 

Faith  in  the  Gospel,  213 
Famine,  108,  239 
Father  Kirk,  306 
Father  Spere,  306 
Fibre  cultivation,  33,  118 
Fleas,  130 
Flies,  130 

Fly,  the  tsetse,  106 
France,  Southern,  23 
French    Ecclesiastical  coup, 
181 

French  Roman  Catholic  Mission, 
180 

French  shipping  line,  22 
Frere,  Sir  Bartle,  88 
Frere  Town,  32,  88,  90 
Frogs,  130 

Frontier  of  German  East  Africa, 

117 
Fruit,  44 


366 


Index 


G 

Gallas,  37 

Gang  people,  86 

Geographical     enterprise  of 

C.M.S.,  88 
German  enterprise,  22 
German  Equatorial  Africa,  27 
German  frontier,  117 
German  ships,  22 
Giryama  country,  64,  88 
Glossina  palpalis,  the,  106 
Gondokoro,  117 
Gordon,  Rev.  C,  144 
Government  house,  27 
Governor  of  British  East  Africa, 

43,  45,  46,  49 
Grammar  in  Lumasaba,  319 
Grant,  the  explorer,  135 
Grant,  W.  and  T.,  233 
Great  "  fault,"  the,  80 
Great  Spirit,  the,  350 
Ground  nuts,  117 
Gulf  of  Suez,  28 

H 

Hsemoglobinuric  fever,  131-132 
Ham  Mukasa,  120,  224 
Hamitic  people,  140 
Hannington,  Bishop,  144,  188, 

228,  239 
Hartebeeste,  37 

Headquarters  of  C.M.S.  Uganda 

Mission,  182 
Headquarters  of  railway,  40 
Hemp  smoking,  337 
Highlands,  East  African,  40,  41, 

45,  50,  87 
High  School,  192,  207 


Holden,  Mr.  W.,  306,  316 
Holy   Communion,  questions 

relating  to,  214 
Holy  Land,  23 
Hornets,  130 

Hospital,  C.M.S.,  104, 134,  188 
Houses,  139,  153 
Housing  problem,  210 
Hubbard,  Rev.  E.,  188 
Hut-tax,  57,  239,  360 

I 

Iganga,  233 

Imperial  British  East  Africa 

Company,  89,  146 
India,  105 
Indian  coolies,  38 
Indian  Ocean,  22,  94 
Indian  Penal  Code,  161 
Indian,  the,  54,  55 
Insect  life,  131 

Intermingling   of  Aryan  and 

Negro,  55 
Irrigation,  37 
Ishmael's  propensities,  63 
Islanders  of  Sese,  95 
Islands  of  Buvuma,  97 

J 

Jigger,  the,  105,  130 
Jmja,  232,  309 

Johnston,  Sir  H.  H.,  54,  151, 
203,  353 

E 

Kampala,  125 
Kamuli,  242 


Index 


367 


Kapili  Plains,  39 
Katikiro     of     Uganda,  120, 
158 

Kavirondo,  84,  86,  95 

Kavirondo,  Bantu,  64,  86 

Kenya,  Mount,  68,  88 

Kibwezi,  89 

Kidong  Kiver,  68 

Kikuyu,  68,  80,  88 

Kilima-Njaro,  37 

TCilindmi  harbour,  27,  28-31 

Kimaru  people,  255 

King  David,  146,  154 

King  Mtesa,  136 

King  Mwanga's  rebellion,  145 

King's  war  drum,  137 

Kirk,  Father,  306 

Kisi,  86 

Kisumu,  84,  85,  87,  92,  114, 
232 

Koch,  Professor,  107 
Kokolyo,  249,  259 
Koran,  the,  33 
Koromojo,  255,  260 
Kumi,  256 

Kyagwe,  98,  118,  141,  224 
Kyoga,  Lake,  86,  97,  232,  242- 
259 


L 

Labour  problem  in  Uganda,  161- 
172 

Lado  Enclave,  189 
Lake  Albert,  97,  260 
Lake  Albert  Edward,  97 
Lake  Kyoga,  86,  97,  232,  242- 
259 

Lake  Eudolph,  172,  250,  260 


Lake  Salisbury  or  Bisina,  249, 
259 

Lake  steamers,  98-101 
Lake  Tanganyika,  105 
Lake  Victoria,  60,  80,  92-110, 
226 

Land  distribution,  169 

Land  settlements,  40-59 

Language,  Bantu,  63 

Language  difficulties,  317 

Lice,  130 

Lions,  27,  37,  120 

Liverpool  School   of  Tropical 

Medicine,  107 
Lossogurti  Escarpment,  68 
Luba  of  Usoga,  189 
Lugard,  189 

Lumasaba  Grammar,  319 
Lumbwa,  84,  86 
Lur  people,  86 

M 

Mabira  Forest  Company,  118 
Macdonald,  Captain,  188 
Macdonald,  General  Sir  J.  C.  E., 
189 

Mackay,  Alexander,  142 
Makindu,  39 
Making  bark  cloth,  137 
Malaria,  128 
Manimani,  260,  265 
Marseilles,  22 
Masaba,  24,  223,  309 
Masai,  69,  71-79,  80,  84 
Mau  Escarpment,  83,  87 
Mbale,  359 

McNamara,  Miss,  815 
Medicine-men,  350 


368 


Index 


Mengo,  24,  114,  119,  150,  175 
Mengo  High  School,  192 
Meridional  Rift,  80 
Messina,  22 
Mice,  130 

Mill  Hill  Roman  Catholic  Mis- 
sion, 180 

Mimosa  scrub,  34 

Miro,  256 

Missions,  56,  196 

Missions,  influence  and  work  of, 
196-218 

Mohammedan  interpreters,  91 

Mohammedan  traders  and  mis- 
sionaries, 91 

Mohammedanism,  31,  32 

Mohammedanism,  superficial, 
33 

Mombasa,  22,  23-28,  37,  39,  40, 

43,  55,  60 
Mombasa  native  town,  31 
Mosquito  nets,  128 
Mosquito,  the,  97,  128 
Mountains  of  the  Moon,  117, 

197 

Mount  Debasian,  249,  259 
Mount  Elgon,  86,  182,  223,  242, 

265,  294 
Mount  Moroto,  260 
Mount  Teso,  249 
Mpologoma  River,  242,  250 
Mtesa,  King  of  Uganda,  136 
Mukasa,  Ham,  120,  224 
Mukono,  120 
Mumia's,  223 
Munyonyo,  175 
Mutilation,  141 

Mwanga,  King  of  Uganda,  141, 
154 


N 

Naigombwa  River,  250 
Nairobi,  39,  40,  43,  44,  46,  49, 

53,  69,  80,  83 
Nakasero,  180 
Nandi,  84,  85,  86 
Nandi  warriors,  85 
Namirembe,  184 
Naples,  22 

Napoleon  Gulf,  227,  232 
Nassa,  182 

Native  and  white  problems,  40- 
59 

Native,  the,  60-79 
Negro  and  Aryan  intermingling, 
55 

Negro  organisation  and  educa- 
tion, 56-59 
Newspapers  in  Uganda,  179 
NUe,  the,  224,  226 
Nilotic  peoples,  86,  225,  260 
Nominal  Christianity,  90 
Nsambya,  180 
Numbers,  danger  of,  198 
Nyenga,  226 

0 

Oasis,  an,  135 

Obligations  of  England,  169 
Offerings  to  evil  spirits,  350 
Old  Mombasa,  27 
Organisation  of  Negro,  56 
Ostrich,  37 

P 

Pagan  Africans,  67 

Palace  of  Bishop  Tucker,  195 


Index 


369 


Paradise  of  snakes,  &c.,  27 
Parasites,  53 
Parliament  House,  157 
Pax  Britannica,  107,  152 
Pemba,  31 

Penal  Code,  Indian,  161 
Persecution,  143 
Pilgrim,  Miss,  312 
Pilkington,  188 
Poll-tax,  57 
Polygamy,  251 
Porterage,  150 
Port  Florence,  85,  223 
Port  of  Uganda,  113 
Port  Said,  23 
Portuguese  fort,  24 
Portuguese,  the,  63 
Postmaster-General,  27 
Preaching  in  Uganda,  184 
Price,  Bev.  W.  S.,  88 
Prime  Minister  of  Uganda,  120, 
158 

Primitive  simplicity,  21 
Primitive  tribes,  64 
Printing  in  Uganda,  178 
Progress  in  Uganda,  153 
Prostrating  heat,  23 
Punitive  expeditions,  361 

B 

Kabai,  88,  90 

Railway  headquarters,  40 

Bailway,  Uganda,  28,  32,  37,  40, 

64,  87,  98,  150,  156 
Rats,  130 

Ravine,  the  Eldoma,  85 
RebeUion    of    King  Mwanga, 
145 


Rebellion  of  Soudanese  soldiers, 
189 

Regents  in  Uganda,  157 
Relapsing  fever,  129 
Rendle,  Dr.,  125 
Rest-houses,  129 
Rhinoceri,  37,  38 
Rice  cultivation,  33 
Right  Hon.  "Winston  Churchill, 
171 

Ripon  Falls,  101,  109,  226 
Ripon  Falls  Barrage,  109 
River  Mpologoma,  242 
River  Naigombwa,  250 
River  Nile,  224,  226 
Road-making  in  Uganda,  166 
Roads,  114,  115,  166 
Roman  Cathohcism,  181 
Roman  Cathohcism  and  rene- 
gade AngUcans,  215 
Roman  Catholic  chapel,  43 
Roman  CathoUc  Missions,  180 
Roman  Catholic  nonconformity, 
181 

Rubber  cultivation,  33,  118 
Rudolph,  Lake,  172,  250 
Ruwenzori  Mountains,  260 

S 

Sacrifices,  357 

St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic 

Mission,  180 
Salisbury,  Lake,  249,  259 
Samwih  Kangawo,  224 
School,  Mengo  High,  192 
Scotch  Mission,  89 
Scott,  killed  by  rebels,  189 
I  Segregation  camps,  108 


Index 


370 

Self-support,  212 
Selim  Bey,  189 
Semei  Kakungulu,  239,  358 
Serere,  250 
Sese  Islands  and  people,  95-98 
Settlers,  45,  119 
Seychelle  Islands,  145 
Seyidie,  33 
Sheep,  44 
Skeens,  231 
Slave  trade,  63 
Sleeping  sickness,  98-109 
Sleeping  sickness  fly,  106-109 
Smoking  of  Indian  hemp,  337 
Snakes,  130 
Somali  country,  64 
Sotik,  86 

Soudanese  rebellion,  189 
Specific  Disease,  176,  202 
Speke  the  explorer,  135 
Spere,  Father,  306 
Spicy  breezes,  23 
Spiders,  130 

Spirillum  fever,  129,  226 
Stanley,  Sir  H.  M.,  98,  136,  189 
Status  of  Slavery,  31 
Steamships  on  Lake  Victoria, 
98,  101 

Strategic  value  of  Uganda,  171 
Stromboli,  23 
Suez  Canal,  23 
Sultan  of  Zanzibar,  31 
Swahili  porter,  24 

T 

Taita,  88 
Tanaland,  33 
Tana  River  64 


Tanganyika,  Lake,  105 

Taru  Desert,  34 

Taveta,  88 

Tax  Britannica,  152 

Taxation  and  development,  88 

Technical  instruction,  167 

Tegetha,  260 

Tepeth,  260 

Teso,  241 

Teso  Mountain,  249 
Thatching,  139 
Thieves,  235 
Things  as  they  are,  21 
Thruston,  Major,  189 
Tick  fever,  129 
Toposa,  261 
Toro,  197,  217 
Transition,  34 
Translation  work,  327 
Tropical  Medicine  School,  107 
Trypanosoma,  105-109 
Tsavo  River,  64 
Tucker,  Bishop,  195,  228 
TuUock,  Lieutenant,  105 
Turkana,  255-262 

U 

Uganda,  22-34,  110-227 
Uganda  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
161 

Uganda  Company,  176 
Uganda  houses,  139 
Uganda  Mission  of  the  C.M.S., 
182 

Uganda  newspapers,  179 
Uganda  Railway,  28,  32,  37,  64, 

87,  98,  150,  166 
Uganda  Railway  terminus,  85 


Index 


371 


Uganda  Kebellion,  189 

Ugaya,  86 

Ukamba,  38,  88 

Ukidi,  241 

Unyoro,  217,  232 

Usoga,  93,  97, 101, 119, 217,  241 

V 

Vaoghan,  Cardinal,  180 
"Vegetables,  44 

Venereal  disease  in  Uganda, 

202 
Vesuvius,  23 

Victoria  Lake,  60,  80,  92-110, 
225 

Visitors,  not  settlers,  55 
Voi,  37,  38 

W 

Wadelai,  182 
Wagiryama,  64 
Wakamba,  64,  67,  68 
Wakikuyu,  68,  69,  71 


Walker,  Archdeacon,  144 

Wandorobo,  84 

Wanyika,  the,  34,  64 

Wapokomo  people,  64 

War  drum,  137 

Wasps,  130 

Wataita  people,  37 

West  Africa,  130 

White  fathers,  180 

Wildebeeste,  37 

Wilhams,  Captain,  98 

Wilson,  George,  Esq.,  C.B.,  165 

Wilson,  killed  by  rebels,  189 

Wilson,  Rev.  A.,  231 

Witchcraft,  345 

Work  of  Church  and  State,  209 
Wrong  ideas  of  permanence, 
211 

Wrong  system  in  Uganda,  166 
Z 

Zanzibar,  31,  32 
Zanzibar,  Sultan  of,  31 
Zebra,  37 


S'be  6rfsbam  ^rtss, 

UNWIN  BB0THEB3,  LIMITBD, 
WOKINa  AND  LONDON. 


GAYLORD 


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